The Sackett Place steam pipe replacement has reached halfway to its boiling point with about 50% completion of the project.
“Sackett Place steam replacement is an emergency repair. It was not planned,” said Scott Bond, project manager from Oregon State University Capital Projects. “During our maintenance in the summer, we had a catastrophic failure of the steam line where we couldn’t turn it back on.”
The emergency replacement project started on Sept. 29 and Capital Projects plans to have the steam line operational again in February 2026 and the hardscape done in March.
The repairs are set to cost $6 million, according to Bond. OSU’s Capital Improvement and Renewal Fund pays for repairs to critical infrastructure and building systems like steam pipes.
On Nov. 13, Sackett Place was closed and detours were in place so that crews could use a crane to lift in a pre-cast vault.
According to an email from Scott Bond from Capital Projects, the steam vault is designed to “improve access, accommodate thermal expansion, and allow for future valve adjustments.”
The steam pipes being replaced serve Austin Hall, Sackett Hall and the Learning Innovation Center on the west side of campus. Throughout construction, temporary 2-inch lines have been installed above ground to supply those buildings.
“(The pipes) were corroding from the outside in, so it was due to a poor selection of product for the ground acidity and the amount of groundwater that we have here,” said Les Walton, energy operations manager. 
Walton and his team manage the electrical generation, steam generation, and nearly 3.5 miles of steam distribution underground. All of OSU’s steam comes from the Energy Center at 3452 SW Jefferson Way.
Steam is used to supply building heat, sanitary heat, water heating and more.
“The beauty of steam is that it removes the need for a lot of electrical energy,” Walton said.
Some steam pipes on campus are from 1958 or older, while the newest are from 2016. According to Walton, the steam pipes for Sackett, Austin and the LINC were only around 15 years old.
The replacement pipes being installed are expected to have a lifespan of at least 50 years.
For residents of Sackett Hall, home to mostly first-year honors students, months of detours and construction noise mean the project’s halfway point may be a welcome milestone.
For first-year food science major, Morgan Sharp, noise has been a nuisance. “It’s really loud and my heater is broken so I have to keep the window open,” said Sharp. “It’s right outside and you can hear it in the stairwell. It’s like bang, bang, bang, bang.”
“OSU Capital Planning and OSU Facilities acknowledge the inconvenience caused by this construction activity and remain committed to completing the project as quickly and efficiently as possible,” Bond said in an email.
Aleeza Jaffar, a first-year biology student and Sackett resident, described her experience with the construction as “chaotic.”
“I walk out, try to go to chem class at 10 a.m. and then sidewalks are closed, everything’s closed, and it’s like ‘Go the other way, take a detour,’” Jaffar said.
Bond does not foresee more sidewalk closures. “As of right now, there are no more anticipated closures outside of our work zone,” he said.
Walton predicts more repairs to steam pipes in the near future. The two major areas are 17th Street which feeds the south side dorms and Magruder Hall for Veterinary Medicine.