By Brian Bohl
Construction on a new pedestrian bridge that will connect the Netherlands dormitory complex to the campus’ south side is “95 percent complete” and will be finished by late May, a University Plant Department official said.
The bridge, which is the third on school property that spans across Hempstead Turnpike, does not yet have fully functional elevators. Joseph Barkwill, the University’s vice president for facilities and operations, said that before opening to the public, a glass-curtain wall to surround the staircase will be installed after the materials arrive April 23. The concrete structure at both ends will receive a paint job.
Consideration was given to allowing students to use the bridge “as is” for the remainder of the spring semester, then restarting the work later, Barkwill said. “However, this would require a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy from the Town of Hempstead.”
Budgeted for $4.6 million, the 240-foot bridge extends from the front of the Saltzman Community Services Center to the dorms across the turnpike, ending near the Oak Street side road. The University worked with the Town of Hempstead and also the Department of Transportation to acquire the necessary permits to build across a heavy-volume roadway.
“DOT oversees construction of all bridges across a highway,” Barkwill said. “And of course, we are governed by the Town of Hempstead.”
Hempstead would not grant the temporary certificate because the unfinished elevators are not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, according to Barkwill. Once the glass-curtain walls are installed, the elevators will be in full service and A.D.A. compliant.
The construction on the glass-curtain walls has not started because the University has yet to receive the materials necessary.
Once completed, the bridge will join the Student Center unispan and the bridge that connects Hagedorn Hall and a north-side parking lot to give the University three elevated passageways that stretch across Hempstead Turnpike.
“We talked with the town and determined that the best thing [to do] is to complete the bridge before we turn it over for official use,” said Barkwill, who added that the timetable for completion is the end of the current semester.
“We’re working with the contractors now, but we are hoping to be [done] by commencement,” he said.
The Netherlands residential complex contains 11 houses, with five on the South court and six on the North. All rooms are four-person suites, housing close to 50 people per building.
Many of the current residents could be living at different locations by the start of the fall semester, though some said the project could reduce the time it takes to get to class. Others said the bridge would not make much of an impact.
“I think it’ll be quicker for me to scamper across Hempstead Turnpike,” said Vinny Zaleski, a freshman who lives in the Netherlands. “It actually depends on traffic. If I need to go that way in the middle of the day, when traffic is heavy, it will be quicker and safer to use the bridge.”
