After being ripped up and repaved in a nine-month long operation, road construction on Mountain Lion Way has almost been finalized, and there are new projects on the horizon for Facility Services.
Costing an estimated $600,000, this construction was a main area of focus over the summer along with additional road repair projects across campus. Facility Services is now turning their attention to the stairs and crosswalk outside of Cragmor Hall to address safety concerns and make the area ADA compliant.
Mountain Lion Way Project
This project was timed over the summer to minimize interruptions to campus, according to Mark Ferguson, associate vice chancellor of campus planning and facilities management.
Facility Services worked with Kathy Kaoudis, the vice chancellor of administration and finance, to assess the state of Mountain Lion Way. Design work and engaging contractors for this project began in January.
Construction for Mountain Lion Way was funded by three years of savings from a pool allocated from campus to Facility Services for maintenance and repairs.
Ferguson explained that after attempts to patch the surface of the road were not adequately holding up, it became a matter of safety, making it a higher priority at the time.
Construction on the road involved a process called cement treated subgrade, which stabilizes the soil underneath the road, according to Project Manager Don Wright. Since the campus is built on bluffs, this process is meant to prevent the soil from sliding. Following the cement-treated subgrade, the road was repaved with six inches of asphalt.
In addition to Mountain Lion Way, Wright said construction was also done on areas of Clyde’s Way, Regent’s Circle and the road behind summit village over the summer.
The final paving was finished on Aug. 14, and while there are still a few places that will require touch-ups, Wright said these wouldn’t require roads to shut down, causing “zero impact to students.”
Cragmor Hall Crosswalk and Stairs
Starting Sept. 13, construction will begin on the crosswalk outside of Cragmor Hall, as well as the steps leading up to Main Hall. This construction will last until Oct. 12 and will require both pedestrian and vehicle detours.
Wright said the construction aims to address the deteriorated and uneven crosswalk, replace the three sets of stairs leading up to Main Hall and make the ramp in front of Cragmor Hall compliant with ADA standards by including places to rest every 30 feet and handrails.
According to Wright, the construction will also add handicap parking and accessible access to Lot 220 in the future when more funds become available.
Wright said the project is being funded by money left over from a project to add a fire suppression system to Cragmor Hall that was completed last summer. According to a new rule from the state, excess funds from projects should be used to improve disability access to buildings.
The construction will be divided into two stages. The first stage will close westbound traffic on Regent Circle from the roundabout to University Hall. Buses will still have access to this route. The second stage will close eastbound traffic from the roundabout onto Regent Circle.
Students can still park in Lot 220 but may have to take a detour to access the lot depending on which direction they’re entering from.
Ferguson said that the way it is decided what projects receive priority is from how many work orders they receive. “At the end of the day, people put in work orders, we’re able to take that data, and as we get so many work orders in one area, it becomes really obvious that this needs additional attention,” he said.
Other methods of funding campus construction projects come from capital construction project requests submitted to the Colorado Department of Higher Education based on the assessed priority and necessity of a project.
“We’ll take our top two or three, ask the state, and compete with other entities across the state for funding – the elevator projects were one we requested, and we were successful in funding those elevator modernizations,” Ferguson said.
Next year, Facility Services will finalize a planning program in February for construction projects spanning 10 years after conducting a study to assess campus construction needs. The department will also start construction of the original Engineering and Applied Sciences Building in May.
Additional information about planning, construction and design can be found at https://facsrvs.uccs.edu/ or by calling (719) 255-3313.
A road closed sign on Mountain Lion Way west of the Gallogly Recreation and Wellness Center on July 9. Photo by Nick Smith.