Webcams show construction projects taking shape

Crews work on the interior of the new Hancock Welcome Center.

VIEW CONSTRUCTION WEBCAMS HERE.

When Liberty University students return from Christmas break for the Spring 2012 Semester, they will notice significant progress on three large construction projects on campus — the Hancock Welcome Center, the pedestrian tunnel to Wards Road, and an addition to the LaHaye Student Union.

But just because students will be home for the holidays doesn’t mean they can’t keep up with the progress. The university has installed webcams at each site, so viewers can see the projects in real time and in time lapses on Liberty’s website.

Construction began on the three-level, 33,000-square-foot Hancock Welcome Center in March. While the completion date of this Jeffersonian-style building was originally scheduled for October, the deadline was extended to allow for more details to the interior that will incorporate the newest technology and amenities. It is now scheduled to open this spring.

Workers began construction in September on the 200-foot-long and 12 feet in diameter pedestrian tunnel to connect campus to Wards Road. Crews finished boring underground on Oct. 25. The project should be open to students by the start of spring semester.

The tunnel, which empties a short distance from the new pedestrian bridge that opened on Wards Road last month, will enhance safety for students accessing one of the busiest corridors in the city.

In addition to the pedestrian tunnel, Regents Parkway, the perimeter road that borders the west side of campus, is being extended from the railroad crossing at Sonic to the dorm circle on south campus, running parallel to the railroad tracks.

The newest project under way on campus is an addition to the LaHaye Student Union. Located directly behind the Thomas Indoor Soccer Center, the 25,000-square-foot addition will serve some of the same functions as the Schilling Center, a multi-purpose recreational building on main campus that will be torn down this spring to make way for the new Jerry Falwell Library.

• For more construction updates and a Q&A with Chancellor Jerry Falwell, Jr., view this week’s edition of the Liberty Champion.