A two-year construction project that has been planned for over a decade is in full swing. The construction of two new residence halls, named North Hall and South Hall, has taken over the Union parking lot and commandeered several roads.
The two new residence halls will supposedly be able to house as many students as the four current residence halls on campus.
“I believe it’s right around 1100 beds,” said Associate Vice President of University of Wyoming Operations Mike Samp. “I don’t have the specifics, but I think they’re going to match the capacity of the other ones, or maybe be slightly higher.”
In addition to the new dorms, two roundabouts will be added to 15th Street to assist with the flow of traffic, and the union parking lot will be converted to a green space called the “Union Lawn.”
Most complaints surrounding the construction project are in relation to the obstruction of roads and sidewalks. In the coming days, a significant portion of 15th Street is planned to be shut down for further construction.
“I think it’s interesting that we’re getting new stuff on campus and we’re getting some more modern buildings,” said Derek Smith, a meter reader for UW transportation services. “The construction bleeding into the roads has definitely been an issue. Getting around on campus might become more difficult, but other than that I think it’s a positive change.”
Upon the completion of the new residence halls, sometime in the summer of 2025, McIntyre, White, Orr and Downey halls are expected to be phased out and repurposed entirely.
“So eventually those halls, and again this is long-term planning, the plan is to not have those occupied in the future,” Samp said. “So once these facilities are fully operational eventually those other facilities should come offline. Again, that’s still in the planning phases.”
“I think that there’s two ways to look at this,” said Cheyenne Schisler, a fifth-year student. “New facilities that could potentially bring in new kids and new enrollment. You know, spice up the university a little bit. But on the same token, if you’ve got the space here, why not renovate instead?”
Currently, the road shutdown of the 15th Street and Ivinson Avenue intersection is projected to take place on Thursday, March 7 and will be closed through spring graduation and commencement activities.
