Steam tunnels to undergo renovation
The tunnels were last expanded in 1955.
May 2, 2008
Construction covers part of Fifth Street at Conley Avenue south of Mark Twain residence hall Wednesday. The Campus Facilities Planning, Design & Construction department is directing a $22 million renovation to MU’s steam tunnel system.
A $22 million renovation of MU’s steam tunnel system will begin this summer to bring greater comfort to students and staff.
For more than 85 years, there has been a network of tunnels under MU’s campus. The tunnels contain cables and pipes, which aid in heating and cooling of the campus. But since the last expansion in 1955, the tunnels have started to weaken due to age and are in need of repair.
“We have maxed out the pipe space we can put into the tunnel,” said Doug Spellman, Campus Facilities Planning, Design & Construction department senior construction manager. “The concrete structure itself has decayed due to salt to a point where if we don’t do something soon, there is danger of it collapsing.”
The tunnels started out with one set of pipes, though as the campus started to grow in population and size, capacity inside the tunnel started to decrease.
“Right now we can only serve what’s built currently and we are marginal at that; any additional buildings won’t be served without impacting other operations,” Spellman said.
A new 13- by 9-foot tunnel will replace a 1,200-foot-long section, with room for additional piping for future growth.
“The benefit of a tunnel is that you can do maintenance and repair with minimum disruption of campus activity above,” Campus Facilities Associate Director Phil Shocklee said.
The project will begin May 19 at the intersection of Fifth Street and Stewart Road to avoid the high volume of traffic during the regular school year. Considerations were made for campus activities such as the Homecoming parade, so that the section of the parade route will be available.
The expansion of the Lafferre Hall addition and renovation was also considered when planning the timing of the project.
“It’s such a major project in the heart of the campus, people will have to get around this area and still be able to get to where they need to go and park where they need to park,” Shocklee said.
Workers on the Lafferre expansion will have to “flip-flop” access with the tunnel expansion group by using different entrance points during construction, Spellman said.
“It’s through a series of phasing that workers will have to either come in from the south or the north of Sixth Street,” Shocklee said.
The tunnel project will benefit the campus as a whole by providing buildings with heating and air conditioning, Shocklee said.
“If we don’t have enough steam the campus is not going to be warm enough, it’s a power source just like electricity,” Spellman said. “If you turn the steam off, you won’t have any heat.”
The extra tunnel capacity will allow more steam pipes to be added, keeping the campus comfortable and economical as well.
“The more economical we can be keeps the cost down and keeps the tuition down for students,” Shocklee said.
The new tunnel expansion will cost around $22 million to complete. Funding will come from a combination of bonds and power plant reserve funds. The cost will be paid over time through utility rates. The project is to be completed by the summer of 2010.
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