Water Reservoir Construction Project
The City of Evanston is launching a significant construction project on Northwestern's Evanston campus, and all members of the campus community are urged to use caution and leave extra time when driving or walking near the work site.
Located on the north end of campus at the corner of Lincoln Street and Campus Drive, the project will replace the City's 5 million gallon water storage facility under the site known as the Reservoir Parking Lot.
The project is expected to begin in March 2019 and run through November 2020, at which point Northwestern will construct a green space atop the reservoir, located east of the 560 Lincoln and Kemper residence halls. The site will no longer be used as a parking lot. Northwestern’s phase of the construction will start in March 2021 and will be completed in October 2021.
As a result of the work at this site, there will be driving lane reductions for northbound and southbound traffic on Campus Drive as well as eastbound and westbound traffic on Lincoln Avenue east of Sheridan Road. Morning and evening hours will experience heavy traffic in this area. Please allow for additional commuting time.
There also will be heavy construction vehicle activity in and out of the area with intermittent lane and sidewalk closures that will be clearly marked with detour signs. There will be new temporary traffic lights and new traffic patterns for vehicles and pedestrians during construction.
Construction activities including fencing around the perimeter of the site, signage installation, barriers and traffic control will start March 1st 2019. Demolition work, including digging, drilling and jackhammering, will begin early March 2019.
The 84-year-old reservoir, which sits adjacent to the City's water plant, will be reconstructed due to deteriorating concrete that forms the facility's shell. There is a total of 10 million gallons of treated water available at the plant, with 5 million gallons stored in the reservoir.
The current storage facility met original 1934 design standards, but it does not meet current regulatory requirements. The new structure will better protect the quality of water provided to 400,000 customers, including Northwestern, served by the Evanston water treatment plant.
Northwestern is committed to ensuring the campus community stays safe and well informed throughout this project, so the departments of Facilities, Safety and Security and Neighborhood and Community Relations are working closely with the City of Evanston.
There are no campus shuttle route changes planned at this time. But any updates throughout the course of the work will be provided at the Transportation and Parking site.
Call or contact Evanston's 3-1-1 service if you have questions or comments.
