Levee construction that has been blocking bike trails to campus since this summer is progressing well and should be completed by mid-November, according to the project manager.

The Army Corps of Engineers? endeavor to strengthen the levee along the east edge of campus is on schedule despite a host of angry students that have interrupted progress, said John M. Thurmon, superintendent with Geo-Con, the on-site subcontractor.

“I know we have inconvenienced a few students, we’re trying to get out as fast as we can,” Thurmon said.

Thurmon, a 15-year veteran of levee reinforcement, emphasized that the area is not a very safe place to walk through and he said that some students have broken through barriers and walked directly into the construction site.

“They’ve literally told me to kiss their ass,” he said.

The contract specifically addresses the issue of student traffic by requiring that the Guy West bridge remain accessible at all times, but does not obligate the construction group to allow access to the bike trail on top of the levee itself.

Large diggers are burrowing a 70-foot deep trench along the levee from Fair Oaks boulevard. to the Mayhew Drain, which will be filled with a natural clay and cement mixture to create a water tight wall underground.

“We would really appreciate the school’s and the students’ cooperation,” Thurmon said.

Some local residents have complained of sand bowls in the area which are a result of water leaking through the interior of the levee, according to Thurmon. The project is ultimately a preventive measure to ensure that the river water stays where it belongs.

The 20-person construction crew will repave the bike trail upon completion of the project and will ultimately restore the trail to a better condition than it was previously, he said.