May 17, 2025, an announcement went out regarding the start of a major construction project happening around the Oval on the Pittsburg State University campus. It will be taking up a lot of space, but with good cause.
Due to the age of the current utility tunnels around campus, and the dangers that age can cause, new tunnels are being built to tie into them.
“The major construction project impacting the Oval involves the replacement of utility tunnels which connect many campus buildings to provide steam for heating and other purposes,” Doug Ball, interim president of the university, said. “Domestic hot and cold-water lines are also routed through some of the tunnels. The oldest sections of tunnels are over 100 years old and have reached the end of their safe and useful life. These oldest sections are being replaced with new tunnels for steam and other utilities.”
It may seem like a lot, but the benefits outweigh the sacrifices.
“While the results won’t be visible on the surface, the project is a major infrastructure upgrade,” the supervisor of this project said. “The tunnels will house new utility systems that are essential to campus operations, especially heating. For decades, the existing tunnel system has been carrying the load. With these new tunnels, Pitt State will have reliable, modern infrastructure in place to support the campus well into the future.”
Currently, the team is looking at Oct. 10, 2026, as the completion date, but they are working to make the process much swifter for the convenience of staff and students.
“Our current estimated completion date is Oct.10, 2026,” the supervisor said. “That’s based on a detailed schedule that accounts for every phase and activity of the project. Our team is actively working to speed up that delivery date whenever possible.”
As great as it will be in the end, the frustration is still there.
“From what I understand, the construction by the oval is a very necessary thing for making sure our campus doesn’t collapse in on itself,” James Collett, a resident assistant and senior in accounting said. “But it doesn’t stop me from feeling annoyed knowing that half our campus is shut off from the other half, or at least on the main portion of our campus. Specifically for the south side dormitories and the post office is now shut off from the rest of the buildings, and for the north side dormitories, they are now cut off from their easy access to the post office and the physical plant. There are various other issues along the way, but for the most part, it’s just really, really annoying to have it cut through the middle of campus, especially since we can’t use the Oval anymore for reaching out to different people as organizations. Being able to table in the Oval is one of the benefits seeing as a lot of people would walk through during the day. Because of the construction, we no longer have access all year.”
As the project goes on, more sections of the Oval will be reopened, and access will be regained.
“Our approach has been to complete and reopen sections as quickly as possible,” the supervisor said. “So students and staff can regain access while keeping all construction activities secure inside the fence.”
Ball requests the flexibility of everyone during this time, as things will change throughout the year.
“This project will be disruptive to campus during the next year,” Ball said. “It will require flexibility by our staff and students as some walking paths between buildings will be blocked requiring different routes. The benefits of the improved system are well worth the temporary disruptions.”
Though this project may hinder the general flow of campus, it will not affect classes as all buildings will stay open.
“All campus buildings will remain open and usable during construction,” Ball said. “I urge students, faculty and staff to stay clear of the construction area.”
A path has been left on the east side of Russ Hall connecting the south side of campus to the remaining buildings.
That being said, there is a great view of the work being done on the upper floors of Russ Hall.