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from the issue of September 13, 2007
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Antelope Valley's 'Big T' to transition into 'Big X'
BY TROY FEDDERSON, UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
Antelope Valley construction is poised for one final run through City Campus.
Ted Weidner, assistant vice chancellor for facilities management and planning, said the $240 million flood control project will expand the "Big T" elevated overpass north of Harper-Schramm-Smith to a "Big X," and the water channel will flow south of Abel-Sandoz and skirt the Beadle Center.
"The contractor has been selected and they will begin mobilizing shortly to build the east leg of the Big X," Weidner said. "That will be a very large bridge that moves in an S-shape from the top of the Big T to the north side of the railroad tracks in State Fair Park."
To assist with the construction, UNL has closed two parking lots, Court Street (immediately south of the Devaney Sports Center) and Stormies (northwest of 17th and Holdrege streets). The lots will be used as storage and work areas for construction crews.
"Expanding the T to an X is going to be a two-year, slow moving project," Weidner said. "The big thing to watch for is the placement of the beams for that bridge. It's going to be an enormous, curving span."
When construction of the east leg of the Big X is completed in 2010, the university will regain 450 of the 488 spaces in the two lots.
Also to assist with the project, Weidner said UNL is using a contractor to remove power poles that run along the southern border of State Fair Park. The poles were installed in the 1960s to allow for emergency power transmission between City and East campuses.
Weidner also said the contractor working to expand the Big X is in negotiations with State Fair Park to close the 17th Street entrance ahead of previous schedules.
"It is scheduled to close at the end of the State Fair next summer, but the contractor would like to close it as early as February," Weidner said. "When 17th Street does close to traffic by State Fair Park, that will be good news for campus. When it happens, trains will no longer have a reason to sound their horns around Harper-Schramm-Smith."
In fiscal year 2008-2009, the Antelope Valley channel will expand south of Vine Street, running from the east side of Abel-Sandoz and past the west edge of the Beadle Center. The project will eliminate an estimated 210 parking spots.
"The big issue will involve disruptions when the channel is dug near the Beadle Center," Weidner said. "That project is still a year or so away, so we have some time to plan for those disruptions."
Final funding to expand the channel is not yet in place. Weidner said federal legislators are expected to vote on a bill that includes the project in the next 30 days.
Work on the channel east of Abel-Sandoz continues. Dan Carpenter, director of Parking Services, said the work has eliminated 86 resident parking spaces. The anticipated total was 45 spaces.
"The target date for the completion of the channel work is January 2009," Weidner said. "When that is complete, the Joint Antelope Valley Authority will contact the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and ask them to remap the flood plain."
The Antelope Valley project - a joint effort between UNL, the City of Lincoln and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - is projected to remove 40 acres of university property from the 100-year flood plain.
"When that happens, there will be the potential for a lot more construction activity on campus," Weidner said. "Funding will be the controlling factor, but the opportunity created will make this project worthwhile for everyone involved."
The Antelope Valley project is also designed to redirect traffic flows around rather than through City Campus. When finished, the university has the option of closing 17th Street and converting 16th Street to two-way traffic - as outlined in the campus master plan.
For more information, go online to http://fmp.unl.edu/antelopevalley.
GO TO: ISSUE OF SEPTEMBER 13
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