Construction is underway on the sky bridge connecting Newhouse I and Newhouse II, an assignment included in the Newhouse III building project.

Michael O’Mara, an information technology consultant, said the J.D. Taylor Construction Company began working on the sky bridge project last week by drilling a caisson foundation, constructed by digging deep into the ground and filling the hole with concrete.

O’Mara said J.D. Taylor was already building the same foundation for Newhouse III. Because caisson foundations require a special drilling bit that is often hard to come by, it made more sense to begin the bridge in January, instead of bringing the drill bit back to the construction site for a second time.

David Rubin, dean of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, said his office will be removed in order to connect the bridge to Newhouse I. He said his new office will likely be moved up to the second floor.

In order to connect the bridge with Newhouse II, two of its offices will be removed.

The bridge will be made of glass, Rubin said, calling it a ‘winter garden’ with a light and comfortable atmosphere.

The bridge will not only be used for people who simply want to walk between buildings. It will provide seating for people to socialize, as well as an area to study, Rubin said.

‘We’ve also been playing with the idea of having a coffee service inside,’ he said.

University Trustee Eric Mower gave a gift to name the glass sky bridge.

O’Mara said J.D. Taylor basically finished its construction for this week and will cease production on the sky bridge project for awhile. He was unsure when J.D. Taylor would resume construction, but said it would most likely begin again during graduation or the summer.

Published on January 25, 2006 at 12:00 pm