Utility, street work to affect central campus traffic

Major utility work will disrupt traffic in the heart of the UW–Madison campus for several months beginning in May, as construction crews improve utilities that supply buildings with steam, chilled water and electric power.

Much of the construction work will take place on Observatory Drive, between Easterday Lane and Babcock Drive, and will require detouring campus traffic to Linden Drive.

“Although the project will pose some inconvenience and disruption for motorists and other commuters, it will enable us to take full advantage of the West Campus Cogeneration Facility’s clean, leading-edge technology to heat, cool and power the campus,” says Alan Fish, associate vice chancellor for facilities.

Also, all needed underground utility work will be completed in this project to avoid future street closings.

Beginning in mid-May, the stretch of Observatory Drive from Easterday Lane east to Elm Drive will close to traffic until June 2006. Elm Drive will be passable at the intersection throughout the project.

From mid-May to mid-August, Observatory Drive will be closed for about a block just west of Babcock, but will reopen in time to accommodate the move-in of residence hall dwellers. Access for those who park in the Lot 36 ramp will remain open for motorists approaching from Elm Drive during the closing.

The block of Babcock Drive between Observatory and Linden, which has been closed since last fall, will remain closed until June 2006 to accommodate construction of the new Microbial Sciences Building.

Access to Babcock Drive for westbound traffic on Observatory Drive will remain open until Monday, Sept. 12, when construction will force the closure of Observatory Drive just east of Babcock Drive through October.

In addition to upgrading utility capacity, the project will provide bike lanes in each direction on Observatory between Babcock and Easterday, as well as new street lighting and tree plantings.

Excavated soil from the project will be deposited on recreational fields on either side of Elm Drive north of Observatory, improving those facilities. The fields will be re-seeded in late August 2006, and the grass needs about a year for root systems to be well established and hold up to foot traffic.

Although traffic — including campus buses — will be re-routed to Linden Drive, motorists using the thoroughfare will also be affected by construction along the detour. Although the street will always be passable, utility work will also be done in the stretch of Linden from Babcock to Lorch Street from May until spring 2006.

As part of the work, the current northbound lane along the east side of Henry Mall will be closed from May until spring 2006. The intersection of the west side of Henry Mall and Linden will also be closed for most of that period.

Those closings will require that the current southbound lane be opened to two-way traffic from University Avenue to access Lots 28 and 30, which will require caution on the part of motorists because of the narrow width of the street.

Signage will be erected informing motorists of closings and detours.

“We’re hoping that commuters will be patient with the extent and duration of the project, and that motorists use caution in construction zones to protect the safety of workers, pedestrians and other drivers,” Fish says.