July 30, 2001

Installation of new firelines on the Storrs campus, which will allow workers to install new sprinkler systems in nearly a dozen residence hall complexes, will cause traffic delays on Route 195 until the work is completed in mid- to late August.

The work, which began shortly after Commencement, is bringing high-pressure water lines to the doorstep of all UConn residence halls.

Sprinkler systems are being installed in McMahon and Hilltop residence complexes this summer, and to the Alumni Quad, Shippee and Buckley halls in the summer of 2002. Three more complexes will receive sprinkler systems in 2003, and the final two residence halls will be upgraded in the summer of 2004.

The Board of Trustees earlier this year asked officials to ensure that 95 percent of UConn's more than 8,000 residence hall beds are protected by sprinkler systems by 2003.

UConn has installed sprinklers in a number of residence complexes already, and all residence halls have state-of-the-art alarm systems, fire-proofed self-closing doors, and smoke detectors.

The work, which will occur primarily on the northbound lanes of Route 195, between Mansfield Road and North Eagleville Road, will take place from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. on weekdays, weather permitting. Workers may also lay the pipelines during weekends, if the schedule requires it.

Additional road closings may occur on campus during the summer, as workers from Beebe Construction Co., Mizzy Construction, and Mather Corp. bring firelines across Glenbrook, Coventry, Bolton and Mansfield roads. Work on Hillside Road has been completed.

Richard Veilleux