McHenry Addition story in Nov.13-19 UCSC Currents
McHenry Library Addition work keeps cement trucks busy
by Louise Donahue
Devcon carpenter foreman Dan Pittroff looks over the construction site for the addition
to McHenry Library.
Cement trucks will be a common sight into winter quarter as construction continues on the McHenry Library Addition.
The addition is a poured-in-place concrete structure rather than a steel-framed building. Walls and floor slabs are now being poured.
The pouring of the first half of the foundation for the addition was a massive effort, and may have been the largest single concrete pour ever in Santa Cruz. The second half of the foundation work was completed in September.
During construction, the pedestrian path/stairs between the Academic Resources Center (ARC) and McHenry Library are closed. The signal-controlled section of the McHenry Access Road will be closed to public access north of the ARC driveway. Since this road is the primary access route for construction vehicles, pedestrians and bicyclists should be especially careful or avoid the route altogether.
Those using the pedestrian bridge from Hahn Student Services to the library will also find that one trail has been blocked off during construction. Instead of going either right of left after the bridge, those using the path will have to turn right.
The library addition is designed to better serve library users by increasing space nearly 72 percent, adding approximately 81,600 assignable square feet to the existing 114,000-square-foot library.
Construction will take about four years to complete, and is being done in two two-year phases. The current phase, the addition to the existing building, is expected to open in 2007. The second phase, the renovation and earthquake retrofitting of the existing building, is scheduled to open in 2009. The library will remain open throughout both phases.
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From November 13, 2006 issue of Current Online. More campus construction information is available by visiting http://construction.ucsc.edu/.