October 1, 2024
Phase one construction of the Upper Science Hill Development (USHD) is progressing as planned and the transformation of Science Hill is taking shape.
Work in the area began in early June 2024 and is bounded by Sachem Street to the south, Whitney Avenue to the east, Edwards Street to the north, and Prospect Street to the west.
Construction of a new Chemical Safety Building, Wright Lab addition, Advanced Instrumentation Development Center (AIDC), and a new Yale Science Building service node is underway, with utility work ongoing to support future development on Science Hill.
Additionally, construction has started on a geothermal bore field that will support a new Thermal Utilities Plant at the northeast corner of upper Science Hill. When complete, the plant will directly serve more than 50% of the thermal energy load on Science Hill, contributing to the university’s initiative to reduce campus emissions to zero by 2050, guided by Yale Planetary Solutions.
The first phase will also include a new parking garage in the former Lot 16, a Yale Science Building and Bass Center service node, and utility infrastructure that supports expansion throughout the area.
Phase two, scheduled to begin in 2026, will feature construction of a new Physical Sciences and Engineering Building (PSEB), a new PSEB service node, and the new Thermal Utilities Plant.
Getting around Science Hill during construction
Modifications were made to vehicular, cycling, and pedestrian pathways, with signage posted to indicate detours and changes throughout the upper Science Hill campus.
PEDESTRIAN AND CYCLIST PATHWAYS
Pedestrians and cyclists traveling from the Pierson-Sage Parking Garage are being directed along Whitney Avenue to access buildings south on the hill. There is a clear walking path up the drive aisle for pedestrians seeking to access Wright Lab, Wright Lab-West, and the Bass Center.
Pedestrian access to the top deck of Pierson-Sage Parking Garage remains an open path to Wright Lab and other facilities along the western half of Science Hill. Modified walking paths are clearly marked for accessing buildings on Edwards Street, Kline Geology Laboratory, the Yale Science Building, and Yale Peabody Museum.
VEHICLE ACCESS
Vehicular traffic can access the open part of Lot 22 and the entrance to the Pierson-Sage Parking Garage. Access to several vehicular charging stations and handicap-accessible parking spaces within Lot 22 will remain.
Service vehicles can continue to access loading docks at Kline Geology Laboratory, Bass Center, and the Yale Science Building throughout construction.
The project team anticipates that construction logistics will change as construction progresses.
Please note: Construction surrounding the upper Science Hill campus within the City of New Haven right of ways is being performed by the Greater New Haven Water Pollution Control Authority.
For more information, read the authority’s notification.
Top image: Construction of the Chemical Safety Building, view looking northwest (left) and northeast (right), photos by Yale Facilities