A collapsed storm drain pipe in an area outside the Media Arts Center (MAC) and Spaulding Gymnasium has been the reason for the ongoing work in the walkway since the beginning of the semester.
Colin Burdick, assistant director of facilities services, said in an interview the pipe issue was discovered while the team was looking to repair uneven paving.
“As we pulled the sidewalk up, we found a sinkhole. So the storm drain pipe had collapsed so we replaced a section of that,” Burdick said.
Burdick said the 30-inch pipe was critical to be repaired because of the significant load it carries.
“It was something we weren’t expecting,” he said.
This was not the first time work has had to be done in this area of campus in recent months. The Equinox previously reported a steampipe burst outside the MAC, but was repaired on April 10.
Because of the placement of underground utilities in the area, the facilities team will not be able to replace the rest of the drain pipe at this time.
“We are backfilling and pouring the sidewalks until we can come up with a plan. The remaining pipe is in OK condition, but we won’t be surprised if it fails in 5 years,” Burdick said in a Sept. 11 email statement to The Equinox.
Burdick added he expects the concrete work to be completed “in the next week or two.”
Nathan Hope can be contacted at
nhope@kscequinox.com
