The university says the tall fence, piles of dirt and team of heavy machinery between the Student Center and Campus Library will be vacated by the time classes resume. In their place will be the new and improved Risman Plaza.

“It will be ready for classes,” said Michael Bruder, director of design and construction, “but not much before.”

The construction, part of the university-wide $200 million renovation plan, has been underway in Risman Plaza for about two months now.

Weather conditions in mid-summer put the construction a little behind, but Bruder said they are back on track.

Bruder said a lot of the construction was underground work. Construction workers fixed old piping and installed sidewalk-heating tubing to melt snow and ice during the winter.

Masonry and installation of a circular lawn have also been completed. Paving is coming up next, but Bruder said that is the quickest step of all.

Though the fences and machinery will be removed by Aug. 31, there will still be some landscaping work to complete.

“There’s still some detail work to be done once the students are here,” he said, “but nothing that should affect the general day-to-day travels of students to and from class.”

Contact administration reporter Nick Glunt at [email protected].