Engineering construction update: Aug. 28, 2025

Here is information about engineering campus construction activities that may affect you in the coming week.

Important

  • PEDESTRIANS: Please do not walk down Engineering Drive or Randall Avenue. Use designated sidewalks and crossings and refrain from walking in roadways or crossing in the middle of streets. View the project update page at facilities.engr.wisc.edu/project-update/ for a map of identified pedestrian routes.
  • VEHICLES:
    – Be mindful of pedestrians in crosswalks; if you need to pause while traveling through campus, please keep crosswalks open.
    – Please obey posted speed limit signs.
  • Please obey flagger signals. Whether you are on foot, in a vehicle or using other transportation, these people are there to keep you safe when construction equipment is operating outside fenced areas.
  • Plan ahead and keep your eyes up. Take extra care as you travel through and adjacent to the engineering campus. Be aware of construction (and related) vehicles entering and exiting locations across the engineering campus. Please avoid all fenced areas as well as construction trailers adjacent to the UW Athletics facilities. And be patient and tolerant. We appreciate your role in keeping everyone safe.

New info: Changes and closures anticipated in the week ahead

  • With students back on campus and classes resuming the week of Sept. 1, please be extra careful and aware as you navigate our engineering campus.
  • Pile driving in front of Engineering Hall will begin the week of Sept. 1. For reference, there is a map forecasting pile driving locations on the project updates page on our facilities website.
  • As a result of this pile driving, Engineering Drive may be reduced to one lane. Flaggers will be present to guide you. Please be aware of this intermittent activity. We appreciate your patience as we work through this aspect of the project.

Ongoing

  • Crews continue excavating near the Engineering Research Building loading dock. Expect additional truck traffic in the area. We don’t anticipate significant interruptions to the accessible ramp.
  • The Engineering Research Building loading dock is closed. Mail and shipping staff will operate out of the Engineering Centers Building receiving area; you can find contact information for these individuals on the loading dock door.
  • Semi deliveries can no longer be accepted at College of Engineering loading docks. These deliveries must be routed to MDS in Verona for delivery to the college.
  • Through October, all lanes of Randall Avenue will be closed near Engineering Drive.
    – If you are traveling southbound on Randall Avenue, you will still be able to turn right into Engineering Drive as usual.
    – You will only be able to exit Engineering Drive by turning to the left. Southbound (right turn) access to Randall Avenue will be unavailable. Please reference the map at facilities.engr.wisc.edu/project-update/
    – The bus stops on Randall Avenue adjacent to Engineering Hall and adjacent to Wendt Commons will close during this time. View Route 80 detour information. View detour information for Routes D and O.
  • Scaffolding is installed over the temporary sidewalk on the northwest corner of Engineering Hall (diagonal from the Engineering Research Building) to accommodate safe pedestrian passage during a roofing project on Engineering Hall.

For future planning or awareness

  • We expect that the week of Sept. 8, Findorff (general contractor for our new Phillip A. Levy Engineering Center) will mobilize near 1410 Engineering Drive for pre-construction and site preparation work.

Please be careful and aware: Whether you are on foot, bike, scooter, moped, in a vehicle, or otherwise, be alert and know what’s happening around you. If you see an immediate safety concern, please reach out to Pete Nemmetz, our assistant dean for facilities, right away, at pnemmetz@wisc.edu.

As always, many factors, including weather and other unknowns, may impact construction activities. If our contractors need to make unanticipated changes, I ask that you respect their instructions, and be patient with them and others.

Once again, our goal is to keep you informed about what’s happening for your safety and route-planning purposes.