Bay State digging continues

Road work on Bay State Road continued this week despite tightening university and state budgets because of leaks in aging pipes and storm drains, officials said.

After steam was spotted coming out of a manhole on the west side of Marsh Plaza on Oct. 17, BU Facilities Management investigated the leak in the underground pipeline that supplies Marsh Chapel with heat and hot water, Facilities Management Assistant Vice President William Walter said.

‘The thermometers confirmed that there was a leak in the pipeline,’ Walter said. ‘Repair began the following Monday and ended the same week on Friday.’

The leak occurred because the steam running through the pipes had condensed, producing water that flowed back to where the steam came from, Walter said. The leak prevented the hot water and heating systems from working properly, which has never happened before.

The Facilities Management staff, along with outside construction companies, including A. Vozzella & Sons, Inc. Company, closed off the walkway behind Marsh Plaza extending to the School of Law and fixed the pipe by excavating, welding and insulating it, Walter said.

‘The pipeline is now better than ever and works properly,’ Walter said.

Though President Robert Brown implemented a hiring and non-vital construction freeze at the end of September, BU was able to hire contractors because it was an urgent situation, Campus Planning and Construction Assistant Vice President Michael Hathaway said.

‘BU fixed this problem with the current budget, because this was an emergency,’ Hathaway said. ‘The main goal is to service the students, and without steam, you can’t have hot water or heating.’

Boston is also in the process of fixing pipelines, sewers and storm drains around the city, prompting state officials to close off Bay State Road from Silber Way to Granby Street and behind the George Sherman Union last week, Hathaway said. The D’Allessandro Corporation began water and sewage work two weeks ago, Hathaway said.

Though Hathaway said the pipeline repair and work on the water, sewage and drainage systems is necessary to ensure safety, the torn -up sidewalks and exposed pipes posed an inconvenience to construction-weary students, they said.’

‘The construction crew would start working at 7 a.m., and it was really loud,’ Management House resident James Minto said, referring to the state-sponsored work on Bay State Road. ‘It’s a good thing that the school wants students to have a safe place to live.”

Minto, a School of Management sophomore, said he and his housemates in the 161 Bay State Road residence were not notified about the construction prior to it taking place, or given a reason for its occurrence.

A resident of 169 Bay State Road, Rebecca Benzion, said she was not notified about the construction. Although she said she was irritated with the construction on her street, she understands why it had to be done.

‘If it’s necessary, it’s necessary,’ Benzion, a College of Arts and Sciences sophomore, said. ‘At BU, they rip up the street, put it back, then rip it up again, and put it back. It happens and then it goes away. What would BU be without construction?’