Tag Archives: utep construction

Access to some UTEP streets will be limited temporarily in March 2017 as one campus project ends and another begins, but University leaders and contractors have worked to minimize any inconvenience.

Work crews plan to lay asphalt along Hawthorne Street at three intersections – Rim Road, Schuster Avenue and Crosby Avenue – to complete the main work for the Hawthorne Street Pedestrian-Bike Enhancement Project.

The Hawthorne closure will stretch from Rim to Crosby and last from approximately 5:30 p.m. through 5 a.m. starting Wednesday, March 8, through Friday, March 10.

A lengthier closure is planned from about 5:30 p.m. Friday, March 10, through 5 p.m. Saturday, March 11. There will be no access to the Mike Loya Academic Services Building (V-1) parking lot or from Rim to Hawthorne toward Centennial Plaza during these hours.

The enhancement project began in October 2016. When completed, the street will be a continuation of Hawthorne on campus, with wider sidewalks, ADA-approved ramps, native and drought-resistant trees and shrubs, an irrigation system and additional lighting. Hawthorne will have one traffic lane in each direction that can be co-used by bicyclists. The V-1 parking lot will have one wider driveway.

The project’s goal was to make that campus entrance safer, more efficient and aesthetically pleasing.

The second project along a portion of Wiggins Way will start before the last of the Hawthorne asphalt has cooled down.

Crews from Texas Gas Service will erect chain-link fences on March 11 to enclose an area from the entrance to the IC-1 parking lot at the Administration Building to Electric Road next to the El Paso Natural Gas Conference Center. Lots IC-1 and IC-17 next to Bell Hall will remain accessible.

The University will keep one lane open in each direction March 11 for north-south traffic to provide a passage while the asphalt work is done at Rim and Hawthorne. There will be no parking along the Wiggins construction area on that day. The whole section of the street will be fenced off Sunday, March 12, for the remainder of the project that is expected to last nine to 14 days.

Utility workers plan to reroute a 4-inch gas line to the street from its current location under the planned site for the highly anticipated Interdisciplinary Research Building at the southeast corner of University Avenue and Sun Bowl Drive.

Campus officials asked that the work be done during the UTEP’s spring break, March 13-17, to lessen the impact on staff, students and faculty. They also have encouraged vendors who serve the buildings along Wiggins to make their deliveries early before the business day begins. Pedestrians will be able to use sidewalks on both sides of the street during the project.

Drivers with ADA parking permits may use any open spaces in IC-Orange or IC-Red lots. They also advised those with permits for IC-4 and IC-15 to use the Rim Road entrance. IC permit holders who regularly park on Rim, Wiggins, University, or Electric and Dormitory roads will be allowed to park in the Sun Bowl or Schuster parking garages.

The plan is to pave the street with concrete and then add an asphalt overlay during the summer.

The northern portion of Hawthorne Street between Rim Road and Schuster Avenue will be closed to through traffic in both directions starting Sunday, Dec. 11, 2016, as contractors prepare to start Phase II of The University of Texas at El Paso’s Hawthorne Street Pedestrian-Bike Enhancement Project.

The work, which should last about a month, will involve some demolition and reconstruction. Detour signs will help drivers and pedestrians navigate their way around construction. Drivers are encouraged to slow down in the construction zone or avoid it if possible.

Motorists still will have access to the V-1 (Mike Loya Academic Services Building) parking lot and the Highlander Apartments, 1700 Hawthorne St., via the driveways closer to Schuster. Once completed, the contractors will close the southern side of Hawthorne between Rim and Schuster to start Phase III, which also should take about 30 days.

Phase I of the project began in early October 2016 on Hawthorne from Schuster to Crosby Avenue. The major part of the work is expected to be completed by Dec. 9, 2016. The goal is to make this gateway to the University safer, more efficient and aesthetically pleasing.

When finished, Hawthorne will have one lane in each direction that will be marked for co-use with bicyclists. There will be no center lane.

The road will continue the look of Hawthorne on campus. It will feature wide sidewalks with ADA-approved ramps, native and drought-resistant trees, shrubs and flowering plants with an irrigation system, and additional lighting. The V-1 lot will have one wide driveway. All work is scheduled to be completed in February 2017.

Federal funds are being used for this UTEP project that is being built by the Texas Department of Transportation in collaboration with the City of El Paso.

The University of Texas at El Paso will begin its Hawthorne Street Pedestrian-Bike Enhancement Project on Monday, Oct. 3, 2016, when it closes Hawthorne between Schuster and Crosby avenues to vehicular and pedestrian traffic for demolition and reconstruction.

Subsequent phases will close portions of Hawthorne between Schuster and Rim Road. The project’s goal is to continue the look and feel of Hawthorne from University Avenue to Rim Road while increasing pedestrian and bicycle safety, efficiency and aesthetics leading to UTEP.

When completed, there will be one traffic lane in each direction that will be marked for co-use by motorists and bicyclists. Sidewalks with ADA-approved ramps will be 6 to 10 feet wide on both sides of the street and landscaped with native or drought-resistant trees, shrubs and flowering plants.

There will be an irrigation system and new lighting similar to what is along Hawthorne on campus.

The main impact will be on those who use that area to park their vehicles. When completed, there will be restricted parking as a result of an El Paso City Council ordinance passed in June 2016.

No parking will be allowed along Hawthorne from Rim to Schuster or on the west side of the street from Schuster to Crosby (next to the P-1 parking lot). On the east side of the street, no parking will be allowed from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The second two phases along Hawthorne from Rim to Schuster are planned to begin in November. Access to the V-1 (Mike Loya Academic Services Building) parking lot will always be available during construction. The project is expected to be completed in early 2017.

Federal funds will be used for this joint project, which has been approved by UTEP, the City of El Paso and the Texas Department of Transportation.