Ongoing construction projects have made navigating NC State’s campus difficult. As early as Oct. 28, an exit door in a hallway between Cox Hall and Dabney Hall was barricaded. A large wooden plank, an orange road barricade and yellow caution tape surround the door but lack a clear indicator as to why it was blocked. Blocking an emergency exit raises questions about safety issues because of construction.

Dabney Hall is the hub for chemistry, physics and statistics classes. Despite having six classrooms, together they hold 720 students alone, with the largest lecture hall spanning two floors and accommodating 330 students. Many students pass through the building for classes, recitation, labs or to access the adjacent Cox Hall.

By the standards established by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), whose purpose is to maintain safe and healthy working conditions, they said, “In every building or structure, exits shall be so arranged and maintained as to provide free and unobstructed egress from all parts of the building or structure at all times when it is occupied.”

Additionally, their regulations for maintenance, safeguards and operational features for exit routes states that “Exit routes must be maintained during construction, repairs, or alterations.”

Recently, there was an entrance reopened for students and faculty to use, giving them access to Dabney Hall from the east side of main campus. An issue is that the path is due to narrow construction ongoing to the left and right side of those who pass. Large machinery and materials are stored around the path in the east area, making pedestrian safety questionable.

When discussing the choice of creating the entrance, Danelle Gambrell Clark, the Director of Construction at NC State, said, “We had a conversation about why can’t we just cut across in front of the fence and go to Bureau of Mines? Well, because there’s no crosswalk there and it cuts directly in front of the entrance.”

Clark emphasizes the department’s consideration for student safety as they navigate construction areas and said, “I understand as a pedestrian, you’re like, ‘well, that’s a longer route,’ but it’s to try to keep people out of the street so they’re not going into the street to get around to the fence. Now, unfortunately we can’t stop people if that’s what they choose to do, but we try to create — ‘hey, this is the safe path that we have in place for you to use’.”

At present, several projects surround Dabney Hall. In Broughton Hall is a new Swing Space, which is used for research activities for a temporary time frame. While Broughton Hall is 95% complete, the Polk Hall Phase 1 Renovation is 30% complete and projected to be completed in 2028. In addition, the Integrative Sciences Building on the Brickyard is predicted to be completed by 2026.

The design firm Lord Aeck Sargent presented a Phase 1 Dabney Hall Renovations design that was approved by the necessary committees on April 25, 2024. These committees include the Trustees Building and Property Committee (BPC) Site Review, Campus Design Review Panel and the Trustees BPC Plan Review.

Clark explained how these committees include members of faculty in buildings affected by the construction project. Depending on the scope of the project there will be faculty members of other buildings being a part of the committee as well.

According to a Request for Proposal (RFP) data sheet from NC State’s Facilities Division, the Dabney Hall Renovations Phase 1 design includes “building systems/ exhaust upgrades and repair of the building envelope.”

The Capital Projects at a Glance report, created by the NC State Facilities’ Design & Construction division, states that the Dabney Hall Renovations for Phase 2 are in the design phase with an expected acceptance date in 2029. It’s unclear how many phases the Dabney Hall renovations will take.

Clark said, “The phasing is dependent upon funding. So currently there [are] two phases because of how the funding is provided from the legislature. So, the project overall is $140 million but that funding is provided over a certain number of years, and so we can only do the work as the funding is available.”

With Dabney Hall firmly enclosed by these large-scale projects, navigating campus has become an ever-changing maze as these projects progress. Students adapted to the changing construction progress early in the year by following Stinson Drive and turning onto Yarborough Drive, allowing them to enter Dabney Hall from there.

What worsens the confusion around construction pathways is the lack of sufficient communication from NC State.

In NC State’s Design and Construction Guidelines, section M states, “Road and sidewalk blockages shall be scheduled fourteen (14) days in advance and made only after NC State has approved them.” The guideline continues to say that construction requiring road closures or blockades strictly cannot continue without authorization.

However, NC State fails to provide the same quality communication with its student body.

On Nov. 3, students taking the tunnel by the Reynolds Coliseum saw Yarborough Drive completely barricaded with wire fences and black cloth. Students had to either take the elevator in Riddick Hall to better access Stinson Drive or walk around the building.

Communication has been a point of contention throughout the process. During the current road closure at Morrill Drive, students were notified of the upcoming bus stop interruptions through signs with QR codes leading to the Department of Transportation’s official statement. Alternatively, students using Passio GO! have received notifications of the replacement bus stops and closed stops.

Clark attributes the struggle with communication to related departments. She said, “It’s yearly up to departments as an individual to figure out how they want to have their colleges, how they want to advertise what that end product or what’s happening in place.”

On a college campus with multiple ongoing construction projects, student input is more important than ever. When receiving complaints, Clark said, “We kind of go out and observe it. We’re like, yeah, this probably could go better here. And so we try to accommodate that the best as we can to the work that’s going to take place.”

Students with complaints or concerns about construction can reach out to Danelle Clark. The Design and Construction department will survey the area to accommodate them.

T he NC State Facilities Division website has links to current and future construction projects, which students can access. Additionally, students can find who is managing specific projects around campus and can reach out to them for questions.

On the website, students can also reach out to Danelle Clark, the Construction Project Manager, Cameron Smith, the Associate Vice Chancellor for Design and Construction and Mark Michaelson, the Formal Construction Manager.

Dabney Hall’s Renovation Phase 2 is undergoing design and Phase 1 is projected to be completed by Jan. 14, 2028. It’s unclear if this will be the final renovation for Dabney. Clark says, “The funding is provided from the legislature… [and] over a certain number of years, so we can only do the work as the funding is available.”

Construction around campus will continue in the near future.