May 18, 2007
Site preparation work is already underway in anticipation of construction of the biomedical research wing – D wing – of the Academic Health Sciences complex.
Preparations are already underway at the Academic Health Sciences D Wing construction site.
Since late April, crews have been doing preliminary work to make way for Campus Drive to be moved to accommodate D Wing, the biomedical research wing of the Academic Health Sciences project that will wrap around the existing Health Sciences building. The initial work will allow underground utility services to be “relocated because of the footprint of the new building,” explained Ron Cruikshank, acting director of projects and engineering with Facilities Management Division (FMD).
The contractor’s work on the road relocation will not begin until after Congress – “probably the day after,” Cruikshank said.
Cruikshank
Campus Drive will be rebuilt about 10 metres to the northeast of its current location, and will likely be constructed in August and September, he explained. The existing road will be open to traffic while the new one is in progress, but there will be a few shut downs – in particular when crews “tie-in” the new portion of the roadway to Campus Drive near the Arts court and to Wiggins Road.
“There will certainly be lots of activity and there will be the odd disruption here and there, but we’ll keep those to a minimum,” he said.
Work on utilities and concrete tunnels will also begin following Congress on the space near Campus Drive. Once D Wing and the nearby planned aboriginal student space are completed, an underground walkway will extend from Health Sciences to Place Riel. A portion of the tunnel will be constructed this year, Cruikshank said.
In addition, stone is being removed from the Laundry Building to be used on the new building. The Laundry Building will be demolished in June to provide space for D Wing.
The goal is to complete the work on the roadway and utilities before the freeze-up this fall. “Things are going as planned and the dollars are on track so far,” Cruikshank said. The D Wing project should go to tender in November and December, with construction slated to begin in early 2008.
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