Students may hear loud booms on their way to class Tuesday.
UF’s Planning, Design and Construction Division will run tests on the foundation of a new garage under construction at the Gale Lemerand Drive commuter lot, said Stuart Cullen, a UF project manager. Testing the foundation is essential to make sure the building won’t move during further construction.
The tests will involve three short explosions that may set off nearby car alarms, Cullen said. The blasts will occur between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., with each explosion spaced about one hour apart from each other.
There is no public access to the 620,000-square-foot garage construction site because it is fenced off and secured by staff, Cullen said. The tests will not affect nearby traffic.
Construction at the new commuter lot began in January and is expected to be completed by February, Cullen said. The garage will be about seven stories with 2,000 spaces and cost about $30 million funded from the UF Transportation and Parking Services.
“There’s a lot of small specifics but the project has been in the works for some time now,” Cullen said. “It’s the biggest one we’ve constructed on campus so far.”
Amanda Gerulski, a 19-year-old UF theatre production freshman, avoids driving to campus early in the day because finding parking is impossible, she said.
It’s inconvenient for commuters to have to park far away and then take a bus to their classes, Gerulski said.
“Driving on campus is miserable,” she said. “But in the long-run, all of this construction will be worth it.”
Students and other passengers walk toward a RedCoach bus to begin boarding Thursday afternoon at the Commuter Lot as UF will begin its Spring Break this upcoming week.
