Despite last Thursday's accident at the Emmet Street parking garage construction site, facilities management officials said the project is proceeding in a timely manner. They also have determined the workers were correctly following safety guidelines when the accident occurred.
Two construction workers sustained injuries when the concrete slab they were standing on fell 11 feet. Both were taken to the University Medical Center, treated and subsequently released within a day.
"One guy was back at work the same night" after being treated for a sprained wrist, Project Superintendent Mike Dilley said.
The other worker, who tore a ligament in his back, was released from the Medical Center at noon the next day. He is expected to return to work early next week, Dilley said.
Site officials said they were grateful the accident had not caused more damage.
"It could have been worse -- it was a 56,000 pound piece of concrete that fell 11 feet," Dilley said.
The accident initially raised questions as to whether appropriate safety precautions had been taken at the site.
"My understanding is that they were following the established procedure," said David Sweet, University facilities management senior project manager.
The accident did, however, cause the involved contracting company to reevaluate their safety guidelines, Sweet said.
"Since the accident, the company has added to their procedure to ensure that it doesn't happen again," he said.
The accident occurred because a concrete slab, which had been placed in the structure, had not been properly welded. When workers attempted to move a second concrete slab into place, they caused the first concrete slab to shift sideways and then to fall, Project Manager Kurt Weinfurther said.
"It's as simple as someone forgetting to make a weld," he said. "In this instance, the weld was not in place prior to" the slab being moved into place.
Workers now will be required to securely weld pieces of concrete that they have placed in the structure before they attempt to move other pieces into place, Sweet said.
Officials expect the garage, which will accommodate 1,200 vehicles, will be completed by Sept. 25, 2003.
While the project currently is running slightly behind schedule, it is still expected to meet its anticipated opening date.
"I think it's going very well and is very close to being on schedule," Sweet said.
The project experienced repeated delays last semester, when the Lewis Mountain Road Neighborhood Association protested the construction of the garage. The association asserted that the increased traffic flow to the garagecould lead to a reduced quality of life for neighborhood residents.
Students living in the area also may be adversely affected by increased traffic flow. Second-year College student Anne Deady, who plans to live in the International Residential College next year, adjacent to the Ivy-Emmet intersection, said she fears the traffic increase that could result from the project will produce a noisy environment for IRC residents.
Despite these misgivings, Deady said she likely will take advantage of the structure's proximity.
"I'm actually really excited," she said. "Right now I have a parking pass at the Cavalier Inn and its really expensive because I don't want to walk all the way to U-Hall in the dark by myself."
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