The pedestrian walkway of the arena garage has been “shored up”, a process in which scaffolding keeps a structure in-place until repaired, since a Waste Management truck hit the bridge in July.

John Hale, Assistant Vice President of Physical Facilities, said the walkway is “perfectly stable,” even during storms or heavy winds. Weekly inspections are done by Barton Mallow, a local construction company.

William Schaet, Director of Operations for Barton Mallow said the inspections serve to “make sure the shoring remains installed as designed,” even in the case of further damages.

Hale said repairs have taken so long because the university is covering the cost through Waste Management’s insurance company, Gallagher Bassett Services. The estimated cost should be in by the end of February, but is believed to be around $500,000.

The university will begin the process of making these repairs once they have settled with the insurance adjusters.

Hale said once repairs begin, “there are a lot of ideas up in the air. We could put it back together how it was, design something better looking, or tear it down.”

Spinnaker will continue to follow this story as information becomes available.

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