Ongoing construction at Oregon State University’s Corvallis campus is causing disruptions for students and sparking concerns about accessibility. 

A dozen construction projects, including building renovations, are underway on the Corvallis campus — some of which have barred access to roads, parking lots and sidewalks. The construction noise has also been known to disturb students who live and attend classes nearby.

“A lot of the construction is right over by the hall where I live in, so it’s very disruptive,” said Finn Koss, a first-year biology student. “Every once in a while things will just be closed, so I have to take an additional five or ten minutes to walk around.”

Monroe Ave is a hub for OSU students, with its sidewalks serving as a common route to class and the University Center. Set just off Monroe, the site for the Huang Collaborative Innovation Complex is hard to miss due to its towering crane and a lengthy stretch of cordoned-off sidewalk. 

“I like to walk up along the west side of campus and kind of go all the way up to Monroe, and then a lot of those spots are just closed,” said Koss. “It’s time-consuming and it’s a little bit laborious to go around all this construction.”

Dustin Sievers, the project manager for the HCIC, indicated that the site will not expand and is expected to stay within its current boundary. 

Erin Martin, director of communication and web for University Facilities, Infrastructure and Operations, confirmed in an email that the sidewalk will remain closed until the project’s completion in the fall of 2026. 

“A closure that affects a path of travel (road, sidewalk) has a detour,” Martin said in the email. “Smaller sidewalk closures due to emergency work may occur fast, and we may not be able to communicate that ahead of time. However, the folks doing the work provide direction via signage if needed.”

Connor Boom, a sixth-year biology major diagnosed with ADHD and autism struggles with sensory issues caused by construction noises. Boom, who attends classes near the HCIC site, said the crane makes a screeching sound that he has found distracting.

“(The sound) pierced through everything else, and I was just like, I want away from this,” Boom said. 

Another area experiencing construction is Washington Way, a heavily trafficked corridor connecting Western Blvd to popular spots on 26th St. like Dutch Bros, the Beaver Store and Reser Stadium.

Martin said the current Washington Way closure is due to work being done on a steam line crossing and is expected to last for about another five weeks. 

However, construction activity in the area is expected to continue until fall 2025 as part of the larger Washington Way Improvement Project, which aims to enhance the safety of the corridor.  

Koss, who lives in Finley Hall just off Washington Way, said that he has found the construction noise disruptive. “If I’m ever trying to study in the lounge or just hang out with a couple of friends, the noise can be unbearable,” he said. 

Martin said that OSU follows a noise ordinance set in place by the City of Corvallis, which restricts excessive noise between 6 p.m. and 7 a.m. 

“If a construction project has a particularly noisy piece of equipment or job happening, we send a Campus Notification to the surrounding area,” Martin said.

Parking lots have also been known to close for construction, including those around the site of the HCIC and another between Gilkey and Milam Hall. 

“Construction projects may block parking, depending on where the project is occurring,” Martin said. “It is usually a safety measure versus parking (for) construction equipment.”

Sievers said when ADA spots are taken “offline,” they are reported to the Office of Equal Opportunity & Access. 

“We work with the individual permit holder to get them to a different location, adjacent to that, as close as we could to the building, or wherever they’re going on campus from that route,” Sievers said.

Koss said that he has been given 24-hour notices for the construction on Washington Way, but would appreciate more consistent updates. “They’re doing so much work on different areas, it’s difficult to know ‘Okay, is the sidewalk going to be closed, or is it mainly the road today?’”

Martin said students can find information about ongoing construction projects at the Active Construction Projects page https://constructionmap.fa.oregonstate.edu/ and can subscribe to the Campus Notification blog for the most recent updates.