The College of William & Mary’s science programs will soon have more room for research.
Site preparation for the third phase of the Integrated Science Center, known as ISC 3, is currently underway at the building’s planned location along Landrum Drive, a mostly one-way street that intersects with Jamestown Road near Williamsburg United Methodist Church. ISC 3 will occupy an open space between the first phase of the building — completed in 2008 — and Rogers Hall, a portion of the science center that was retrofitted in 2009.
Crews have begun the first phase of construction on the building, installing a sewer line and a stormwater line that will serve ISC 3 after its completion.
The ISC 3 project is completely funded by a $74.2 million appropriation from the General Assembly. Once completed, the four-story building will add 113,000 square feet of space to the ISC complex. The current plan features a core area of labs and major-instrument buildings, known as the “Machine for Science.” ISC 3 will also feature a 300-seat lecture hall and a new greenhouse to be built on the roof of ISC 2.
The complex’s first two phases, the construction of ISC 1 and the renovation of Rogers Hall, added more than 160,000 square feet of office and lab space for the college’s chemistry, psychology and biology departments.
Because of the ISC 3 construction, traffic and parking along Landrum Drive has been reconfigured. College Vice President for Administration Anna Martin said the use of the street would be restricted. Through traffic on the street will be closed through June 30. Pedestrian access will remain unchanged.
“For this summer, it’s very intense right there,” Martin said.
According to W&M Director of Parking Services Bill Horacio, a parking closure along Landrum Drive would also be in effect at least through the first week of July. Once the sanitary and trenching lines are completed, however, Landrum Drive will reopen to both traffic and student parking.
In the meantime, university spokesman Brian Whitson said the college had made additional student parking spaces available in the William & Mary parking garage.
Other parking changes will remain in effect beyond July. Horacio said that 35 faculty-staff parking spaces along Landrum Drive would be removed from the parking inventory for the duration of the project.
Construction is expected to last 24 months and be completed by the summer of 2016.
