Increased truck traffic expected near IRB construction entrance

The excavation work for the two-story, underground basement of the Interdivisional Research Building, which began Monday, will result in a significant increase in truck traffic near the construction site, according to Meredith Mack, Associate Vice President for University Facilities Services.

Trucks are using an entry point to the construction site at the corner of 57th Street and Drexel Boulevard, and as many as 75 to 100 trucks will be entering and exiting the corner entrance daily from Cottage Grove Avenue.

To maintain safety, the contractor has posted full-time flaggers to assist with traffic flow.

Ground was officially broken for the IRB Nov. 18, 2002, and the building is scheduled for completion in 2005.

The building will bring a 21st-century research laboratory to campus for the Biological and Physical Sciences divisions.