The construction by Cole Hall is almost complete and a new project on Gilbert Drive is just around the corner.

Patricia Perkins, assistant to the vice provost of Finance and Facilities, said the Cole Hall project will be complete once the weather stabilizes.

All that is left to do is to install some more benches, trash cans and some landscaping touches, she said. The fountain will be operational once the weather warms up.

Next on the list of projects is construction on Gilbert Drive, she said.

Jim Bryant, director of NIU architecture and engineering, said there are two projects concerning Gilbert Drive that soon will be under way.

The first project is the installation of chilled water distribution lines underneath the entire length of Gilbert Drive, he said. The piping will be 6 to 10 feet underground and will be used for air conditioning in academic buildings.

After that project is finished, Gilbert Drive will be reconstructed, a project that needed to be done because of the condition of the road, he said.

“We’ve been holding off on Gilbert Drive because we knew we were going to have to put chilled water lines there,” he said.

Bryant said it will cost $910,000 for the installation of the chilled water lines.

The street work has a budget of $750,000, he said. A bid was made of $319,000 for the general contractor and $57,000 for the electrical construction on the street.

He said the funding for the water lines came from grant money and the street work is paid for by parking.

The construction is scheduled to start right after spring semester ends and is predicted to be finished before the start of the fall semester, he said.