Project Update: Sidewalk and Bus Lane Closure Scheduled for March 6-27
March 4, 2020
A bus lane on South Columbia Street and the adjacent sidewalk will be closed beginning Friday, March 6, through Friday, March 27, to facilitate steam tunnel access for the Medical Education Building project.
Pedestrians traveling through this area should follow all designated pedestrian detours and use the western side of South Columbia Street via the crosswalks at the Health Sciences Library and Medical Drive.
Construction of the UNC School of Medicine’s new Medical Education Building will begin Tuesday, Jan. 14, and is expected to be completed July 2022.
The new eight-story building will replace Berryhill Hall with a state-of-the-art facility that will allow the school to expand class size, facilitate interactive case-based learning, and co-locate UNC School of Medicine and UNC Health Care leadership administration. The 172,000-square-foot Medical Education Building will include a 400-seat active learning theater, two floors dedicated to clinical skills and simulated learning, and flexible lab, classroom, study and collaboration spaces.
The building will be constructed to include high-efficiency heating, cooling and lighting systems and will employ low-flow fixtures and stormwater and condensate harvesting. These features will enable the building to use 30% less energy and 40% less water than the baseline for this building type.
The project will include the demolition of Berryhill Hall and will require the closure of the area between Carrington Hall, Bondurant Hall and the Brinkhous-Bullitt Building. Pedestrians should follow designated pedestrian detours and remain alert to construction vehicles entering and exiting the work zone at access gates.
The bus stop at South Columbia Street at Carrington Hall (#3222) will be closed starting Monday, Jan. 13. Transit riders should use the South Columbia Street at Health Sciences Library stop (#3223) while the Carrington stop is closed.
For construction questions or concerns, contact Stephanie Berrier, communications manager for Facilities Services, at stephanie_berrier@unc.edu.
For questions concerning transportation and parking, contact UNC Transportation and Parking during regular business hours at 919-962-3951.