Four manholes off Stadium Road have been barricaded and labeled with warning signs to protect students and faculty from hot steam.
UF spokeswoman Janine Sikes said in some cases, the steam can make the manhole covers hot.
No one has been hurt, but the steam could potentially burn someone passing by.
Sikes said UF is working on developing solutions to the manhole covers.
“One consideration is to add a different kind of manhole cover that resists heat,” Sikes wrote in an email.
UF has many underground utility systems such as electricity, chilled water and steam that help provide power, heating and cooling to buildings, Jeff Chorlog, vice president of UF’s Physical Plant Division, wrote in an email.
“As is typical with this type of system minor leaks occur or groundwater may seep into the bottom and be heated on contact with the actual steam piping,” Chorlog said.
As a temporary solution, UF has placed barricades and signs to warn people.
“As we seek a better solution to the four hot manhole lids, we felt it was prudent to provide these safeguards to the campus community,” Chorlog said.
[A version of this story ran on page 4 on 10/30/2014]
Safety barriers cover manholes emitting hot steam on the sidewalk along Stadium Road.
