With preparations for the new engineering building underway, Badgers should be mindful of work zones and detours when walking, cycling, or driving in the engineering campus area.
The work zones and detours described below will remain in place through 2025 with changes to be expected as the project goes through multiple phases. The College of Engineering will share weekly project updates on their Facilities website.
Please refer to the map and text descriptions on this page for current closure and detour information.
Sidewalk closures and pedestrian detours
Closures
- Many walkways surrounding the Engineering Research Building and Materials Science and Engineering Building are closed. (The walkways immediately surrounding the east, west, and south sides of the Materials Science and Engineering Building remain open for emergency exits only.)
- A section of sidewalk on the north side of Engineering Drive is closed from North Randall Avenue to the Engineering Research Building.
- A short section of western sidewalk on North Randall Avenue is closed where Engineering Drive meets North Randall Avenue.
- Beginning September 23, crosswalks at Engineering Drive and Randall Avenue will close for approximately one month.
Detours
- A fenced-off accessible pedestrian detour travels along an existing sidewalk through the work zone located between the Engineering Research Building and 1410 Engineering Drive. There are access points from Campus Drive and Engineering Drive.
- Additional detours encircling the work zone have been designated along Engineering Drive, North Randall Avenue, Campus Drive, and the walkway between the Mechanical Engineering Building and Engineering Centers Building.
- The crosswalk by Randall Avenue and West Johnson Street is open for pedestrian detours.
Sidewalk closures and detours are clearly designated. Pedestrians should be mindful of work zones, only use marked pedestrian routes and avoid walking in roadways.
Roadway closures and detours
Beginning October 1, parts of Engineering Drive will be closed and the roadway will be reconfigured to navigate around the work sites.
Beginning September 23, the left turn from Randall Avenue onto Engineering Drive will be closed for approximately one month. This closure will affect access to the Engineering Drive parking garage (Lot 17).
The right turn from southbound Randall Avenue onto Engineering Drive will remain open. Motorists traveling northbound on Randall Avenue may access Engineering Drive by detouring to Breese Terrace and University Avenue to reach southbound Randall Avenue. Refer to the map on this page.
Additionally, the short drive leading to the Engineering Research Building and the Materials Science and Engineering Building is closed to everyone except construction and emergency vehicles. Pedestrians should avoid this area and stay on designated pedestrian routes.
Building access
Materials Science and Engineering Building
Building access is maintained on the north side of the building facing Campus Drive. However, this entrance is not ADA-accessible.
The accessible entrance is located on the south side of the building on the second floor. To get to this accessible entrance, pedestrians must detour through the accessible detour traveling through the work zone to the Engineering Research Building, take the elevator to the second floor, and use the skybridge to get to the second floor entrance of Materials Science and Engineering. Use the elevators to access other floors as needed.
Doors on the northwest corner, as well as the south, and east sides of the building will function as emergency exits only.
Engineering Research Building
There are three ways to access the Engineering Research Building:
- The interior connection from the Mechanical Engineering Building.
- The skybridge from the Materials Science and Engineering Building.
- The accessible ramp on the east side of the building. This ramp is accessible via the protected accessible walkway between 1410 Engineering Drive and the Engineering Research Building, traveling through the project work zone. Please be mindful of construction vehicles when using this route.
Mechanical Engineering Building
These buildings may be accessed via the fenced-off accessible pedestrian detour traveling through the work area on Engineering Mall. Alternatively, use the pedestrian detour along the southern sidewalk of Engineering Drive.
Bicycle parking relocated
The bicycle racks at 1410 Engineering Drive and the northwest corner of Engineering Hall have been relocated. They are now across from the Engineering Research Building, just east of the Lot 17 parking garage. Please refer to the map on this page for the new bicycle rack location, as well as other designated bike parking locations. Bicycles attached to poles, handrails, trees, etc. will be impounded.
Safety first
Motorists should use extra caution on and around Engineering Drive and watch out for pedestrians, cyclists, and construction vehicles. Pedestrians should always follow marked detours. Both cyclists and pedestrians should be mindful of motor vehicle traffic and construction vehicles traveling through the area.
What’s happening?
Workers are upgrading underground steam lines, chilled water lines, and fiber-optic cables throughout the engineering campus before work on the new building can begin. These lines and cables also run along Dayton Street, all the way to the Charter Street Heating & Cooling Plant. A later phase of this project will require workers to upgrade those lines as well, which means additional road and sidewalk closures can be expected through 2025.
Questions and concerns?
If you have any accessibility concerns, please contact Top Tantivivat, Facilities Access Specialist, at 608-263-3021 or top.tantivivat@wisc.edu.
For any other questions or concerns, please contact Transportation Services customer service at customerservice@fpm.wisc.edu, or (608) 263-6667.