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'Out of an abundance of caution': UNM closes Cornell parking structure after heavy rainfall
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A parking garage on the University of New Mexico's main campus was closed Wednesday after continuous rainfall overnight prompted "a construction safety concern."
The Cornell Parking Structure, on the northwest corner of Central and Stanford, was unavailable, according to a notification sent out by the university around 6:30 a.m.
A trench where construction was occurring was saturated from rainfall during the night, and there is concern that the asphalt around the trench could cave in, according to UNM spokesperson Steve Carr, who added the garage is expected to be closed for only a day "out of an abundance of caution."
"Typical rainfall would not affect this project as it stands currently. The university's first concern is safety for everyone, including the personnel onsite," Jim Shaw, UNM's associate director of utility services, said in a statement. "We are currently determining the safest and quickest methods to restore two-way traffic to the parking structure."
Shaw added that there were no additional hazards to other buildings on campus.
"Our main concern is containing the damage to the roadway and mitigating any further damage to the area with rains forecasted in the near future," he said.
