Cregger Center construction underway, Bowman Hall closed

The time has finally arrived for construction to begin on Roanoke College's new athletic and academic facility, the Cregger Center. 

For more about this incredible next-generation facility, visit the Roanoke Rising page. 

This post includes several updates about work planned for the summer months. Additional information will be added as the project develops. As with any construction project, timelines may shift due to the weather or other factors. 

Also, proper safety equipment and authorization are required for those entering the construction site.

Watch the progress

Later in May, a webcam will be in place to allow the campus community, students and alumni to watch the progress via the website. 

Parking changes and traffic patterns

Starting the week of May 4, grading work will begin on a new parking lot on the side of Peery Drive, near High Street. This site will be used primarily as the staging and storage area for contractors working on the Cregger Center. After construction is complete, the parking area will be paved, landscaped and will become a new parking lot for the High Street section of campus. 

During May, the Bowman parking lot will be closed, and the service road to the Colket Center will be closed. For the summer, the trash dumpsters will be relocated between Colket and Sections residence hall. The Back Quad road will be used as the service road to Colket. Because of the additional traffic to the Back Quad, Sections is closed for the summer.

High Street

Underground utility work crossing High Street will reduce traffic to one lane and could cause some delays. This work is expected to take place through May 16. Weather could impact this schedule. The College's High Street neighbors have been informed of this schedule. 

Last days of Bowman Hall

Bowman Hall is closed to the public. College staff will remove items from Bowman through May 12. Then, contractors will work on the building to prepare it for demolition, which is expected to occur in mid-June. More schedule information will be announced closer to the time of demolition

Campus Safety and Police Training

Don't be alarmed if you see police activity around Bowman on Tuesday, May 13 or Wednesday, May 14. Campus Safety and the City of Salem Police will be conducting drills in the empty residence hall. It is helpful for police to use these buildings for drills and practice. The construction schedule presents an opportunity to support local law enforcement in this way before the building is demolished. 

NCAA D2 Lacrosse Final Four

On Saturday, May 17 and Sunday, May 18, Salem hosts the Final Four NCAA Division II women's lacrosse games in Kerr Stadium. After those games, Kerr Stadium will be closed for the summer. Some of the utility work for the Cregger Center will result in changes at Kerr Stadium as well. 

Kerr Stadium impact

Some stadium lighting will be removed in the area near Bowman Hall, along with some of the facility near the restrooms. A new temporary entrance will be created at the north end of Kerr Stadium. To get to stadium seating, people will be required to enter from the front of New Hall and the Caldwell Allegheny Ritter complex, and walk around the far end of the field and past the scoreboard. This will be the entrance for the next two years for all events at Kerr, and it will remain once the Cregger Center is built.

Kerr Stadium's turf field will be partially rolled back this summer to allow for underground utility work.

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-Published May 7, 2014