The Student Services Building Addition, scheduled for completion over the winter break, will house Student Programs, the Veteran Services Center, the Center for Students in Recovery, the Comet Center, SUAAB and the Office of the Vice President of Student Affairs.
While UT Dallas is closed Dec. 21-30 for winter break, several construction projects to maintain campus infrastructure and create more academic, meeting and living spaces will continue.
“We ask the campus community to continue to pardon our progress as we work diligently to enhance our infrastructure to support our growing population,” said Dr. Calvin Jamison, vice president for administration. “We apologize about any inconveniences; however, the end product will be exciting new additions to campus.”
Buildings
The Student Services Building Addition (SSBA) is slated for completion over the break. The 68,000-square-foot facility will provide much-needed event, meeting, office and study space. The addition will house Student Programs, the Veteran Services Center, the Center for Students in Recovery, the Comet Center, SUAAB and the Office of the Vice President of Student Affairs. It also will offer amenities, such as a 530-seat auditorium, food and retail locations, and recreation areas with pool tables, table tennis and a gaming wall.
Progress also continues on the Davidson-Gundy Alumni Center and the Brain Performance Institute, which will be completed in spring 2017 and summer 2017, respectively.
Student Housing Phases VI and VII, two apartment-style complexes, are expected to provide a total of 800 new beds on campus in fall 2017.
Phase VI will be 206,000 square feet and include a mix of efficiency, one- and two-bedroom apartments, as well as an open multipurpose space, a common laundry facility, office space for support staff, an outdoor recreation area, bike storage and racks, and a surface parking lot for 150 vehicles. It will be on the south side of Loop Road Southwest at Waterview Parkway.
Phase VII will be 127,000 square feet and feature two- and four-bedroom configurations with internal corridors, an open multipurpose space, offices for support staff and laundry facilities. It will be on the north side of Loop Road Southwest at Waterview Parkway.
Construction also continues on the 200,000-square-foot Engineering Building, which is scheduled to be completed in fall 2018. The new home of the Department of Mechanical Engineering will contain classrooms, research and teaching labs, faculty offices, student workspaces, and a 300-seat auditorium that will be named in honor of Dr. Alexander Clark, a former vice president of academic affairs and one-time acting president of the University. The building also will include a grab-and-go food option, a third-floor student lounge with a balcony and a landscaped courtyard with seating for studying and collaborating.
Renovations have been completed on the Classroom Building (CB), which formerly accommodated the English Language Center near Parking Structure 3. The building will now house classrooms and the advising suite for the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. Staff will begin moving in Dec. 19, and four classes are scheduled in the building starting in spring 2017.
North of campus, Northside retail tenants are preparing to open for business during spring 2017. A variety of restaurants, shops and entertainment venues are expected, such as American Tap Room. Construction on Northside Phase 2 is expected to start in the spring, and will include more housing and retail.
The University also will add more office and meeting space in the Synergy Park North (SPN) building.
Campus Renovations
Beginning Dec. 19, the sidewalk from parking Lot R to the Administration Building (AD) will be closed for renovation. During this time, the two north entrances to the building will be inaccessible. Signage and barricades will be in place to redirect pedestrian traffic. It is recommended that pedestrians walk around the building to use the south or southwest entrances off the North Mall. Two visitor spaces near the flag poles in Lot R also will be closed to allow room for construction equipment, but no other parking spaces will be affected.
Weather permitting, the sidewalk may be open in mid-January. But the project, which includes lighting and landscape work, will not be finished until the beginning of March.
On Dec. 20, crews will close a portion of Loop Road, west of Rutford Avenue, to pour a concrete sidewalk on the north side of Residence Hall South. Rutford will remain open during the work, which is expected to be completed over the break.
Additionally, crews will widen traffic circle exits during winter break. The circle will remain open, but will have limited capacity until the work is completed during the break.
Drivers may also experience lane closures on Rutford Avenue near the Energy Plant (EP) and Hoblitzelle Hall while crews work on drainage, utility and IT lines during the break.
Work on the new cricket field has begun and will continue over winter break. The field is expected to be ready for play in fall 2017.
Crews also will work on various interior renovations, such as painting and carpet replacement, in several buildings.
Visit the Pardon Our Progress website for additional updates on these and other campus projects.
Transportation
Beginning Monday, Jan. 9, the Comet Cruiser will have changes that will affect some routes, stops and departure times. For example, the McCallum Connection Pilot Route will be absorbed into the DART Route 883 West. No stops will be removed, but some will be serviced by different routes.
In addition, the McCallum Express will operate Monday-Friday each week, from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. For more information, review the current and new route maps and schedules on the Comet Cruiser website.