Bascom Hill looks a little bit different than it did at the end of the spring semester. But there’s a good reason for the fences and detours.
Crews are busy replacing underground utilities, some of which date back to the 1890s. While UW-Madison is a campus with a great appreciation for history, that’s a little too historic.
“We’re going to unzip Bascom Hill, replace all the utilities, and put it back together,” says Jeffrey A. Pollei, director of utilities and energy management in UW—Madison Facilities Planning & Management.
The project will be done in three phases and is scheduled for completion in December 2020. It will replace, relocate, and construct new thermal utilities (steam, condensate, and chilled water), electrical utilities (primary electric and signal communications) and municipal utilities (domestic water, sanitary sewer, and storm sewer).
The work spans two parts of the Bascom Hill area between North Charter Street and Music Hall along Lathrop Drive and between Bascom Hall and North Park Street north to Observatory Drive. Utilities in this area serve all of the buildings along Bascom Hill, but are also an essential part of the utility loop that connects campus both east and west of the hill.
Check out this web page for the latest updates on the utility project, including maps of the affected locations. 