UNIVERSITY PARK — Sidewalk improvements, building renovations and site work for the future Pegula Ice Arena are a few of the projects crews at the Penn State campus are working on this summer.
So far, more than 100,000 cubic yards of soil have been taken from the ice arena site to a temporary holding area off Park Avenue. The big pile of dirt can be seen near the Ag Arena, but will only be there temporarily.
Office of Physical Plant spokesman Paul Ruskin said the soils have been pulled back during excavation and are being held at the site while the building foundations are completed. Along with improving football parking, dirt will be returned to the ice arena for final landscaping.
The completion date for the 200,000 square foot arena is October 2013.
A number of other projects are also under way.
“The projects in core campus, specifically the sidewalk projects in the vicinity of Old Main, will take a breather during Arts Fest so as not to interfere with the festivities,” Ruskin said.
The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts will run July 12 to 15.
Other projects include:
• Installing a new line to bring chilled water to the Pegula Ice Arena, the Intramural Building and the Natatorium. A section of Curtin Road has been closed to allow for the piping to be installed. That should be done by Aug. 20.
• McKean Road will be closed this summer between Shortlidge Road and Eastview Terrace while work is done on a chilled water line and steam tunnel. The project will include a rebuilt roadway with improved pedestrian crosswalks and lighting.
• New lighting, benches and bike racks are going in on Burrowes Road. Ruskin said the elm tree roots can cause cracking in the sidewalk, and the work will improve the streetscape significantly.
The road will remain open during construction, with occasional lane closings.
• Crews are putting in a walkway from Park Avenue to the Arboretum, making it easier for pedestrians to access. That should be done by October. The project will also include work in the Children’s Garden, which is scheduled to be done by December.
• Major renovations to South Halls, including building a new residence hall. The project will take place in phases, with completion slated for the end of December 2014.
• The new 93,500-square-foot Biobehavioral Health Building at the south end of the HUB lawn should be finished by the end of the year.
Anne Danahy can be reached at 231-4648. Follow her on Twitter @AnneDanahy
