UTEP: Centennial Plaza construction on schedule as students struggle with the inconvenience

Construction continues at UTEP for the new Centennial Plaza. (VICTOR CALZADA - EL PASO TIMES )

Photos: UTEP Centennial Plaza construction Posted Jul 26, 2014

University of Texas at El Paso students continue to face construction projects, especially at Centennial Plaza, which has shut down most of the center of the campus.

"It has been a pain," said Jocelyn Navarro Veleta, a freshman nursing major. "I had to move my schedule around and make sure I show up half an hour or so earlier than I used to to make sure I get to class on time because of all the fencing you have to go around."

The Centennial Plaza construction is part of the UTEP Campus Transformation project. The goal of the project is to create a pedestrian-friendly public space that students and the El Paso community can use, said Greg McNicol, associate vice president for Business Affairs-Facilities Management. The new plaza will close off a portion of the campus to vehicles.

The expected completion date for Centennial Plaza is October, McNicol said. So far, the work construction crews have been doing includes removing old plumbing pipes from the area and installing new utility systems.

"The majority of the work done so far has been in the ground," McNicol said. "Mostly utilities. All the major utilities that were under the ground, the youngest, if you will, had been in the ground for about 48 to 50 years, and some even older than that. This includes sewer, water line and things like that. So we have been removing them and rebuilding the infrastructure there."

Work still remains to remove the pipes and putting in new piping systems, McNicol said.

"We still have a few more things to do before we start spending money above the ground," McNicol said. "There still remains some minor connections we need to make in the underground utilities, but for the most part that is behind us now."

The next steps will include placing the walkways, trees, grass and installing a new water management system, McNicol said.

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UTEP: Centennial Plaza construction on schedule as students struggle with the inconvenience