Parking lot mill and overlay near Robin Hall, Ryan Hall and Ina Mae Rude Entrepreneur Center

Project scope: Asphalt mill and overlay for lots serving Robin and Ryan Halls and the Ina Mae Rude Entrepreneur Center, replacement of underground steam line

Current stage: Steam line replacement and asphalt resurfacing for area serving Ina Mae Rude Entrepreneur Center

Total estimated cost: $265,000

Estimated completion date: Late August

The parking lots surrounding the west-campus cluster of Robin Hall, Ryan Hall and the Ina Mae Rude Entrepreneur Center are all soon to have a new coat of asphalt, including more than a dozen new parking spots in front of Ryan Hall.

In fact, about 70 percent of the work is done and ready for parking, according to Tom Eastman, landscape operations coordinator for UND Facilities Management.

The work that remains to be done is in front of the Ina Mae Rude Entrepreneur Center, home to UND’s Center for Innovation.

A steam line running parallel to 42^nd Avenue, located underneath that area of the lot, needs to be replaced. Once the digging and repair work is finished, then it is only a matter of days until the section is resurfaced and painted.

Eastman expects this to take place before the end of August, once the materials arrive for the replacement. At that time, parking in front of the Center will be restricted similarly to when the top layer of asphalt was milled earlier in the summer.

The mill and overlay process taking place is one stage of an asphalt surface’s lifespan, Eastman remarked, following seal work that can protect against weather for at least a few years.

Through the process of shaving and repaving the area, a number of improvements were made to the layout that not only created more parking spaces for those on campus, but also created easier paths for plows to clear snow during the winter.

“We took out the large island in the northern corner of the lot, which resulted in 14 new parking spots being painted, which is a good improvement,” Eastman said. “There was also a difficult transition – a peninsula – between the Ryan Hall area and the Ina Mae Rude Entrepreneur Center that has been removed.”

Also, what was previously a rock bed area between the two buildings has now been paved, further allowing for better snowplow access. The area has been painted with hashmarks to prevent any parking in front of the fire hydrant there.

Storm drains that were previously on the curbs are now on the lot’s surface, allowing for better drainage.

“It’s overall a much better flow for everybody going through the area, whether visiting or maintaining it,” Eastman said.

The campus community can expect to be notified once parking needs to be restricted in the area, again. Check the Campus Renewal blog for further updates and information on a variety of campus construction projects.