Construction/Traffic Updates
NREL's South Table Mountain campus and National Wind Technology Center will be busy with construction activity for the foreseeable future. This page has been created to keep you informed about our expansion, including construction activity and traffic updates, information on new facilities and where to find additional information. Updates also are available by calling the NREL Construction Hotline at 303-275-4087.
Updated: January 31, 2012
Construction continues on the new NREL parking structure, located on the south side of the campus and the new Energy Systems Intregration Facility (ESIF).
Starting the week of February 6, traffic along S. Golden Road at the Moss St. intersection will be rerouted along a short detour. The detour is meant to keep traffic flowing while Haselden Construction completes a traffic roundabout at Moss Street, along with related road improvements and upgraded underground utilities.
The work is expected to be completed in May 2012. Haselden intends that access to all businesses along the affected route will remain open during construction. For more information, visit Moss Street Traffic.
For additional information, contact NREL's Public Affairs Office at 303-275-3891.
South Table Mountain Ingress/Egress and Traffic Capacity Upgrades Project
Construction continues on a new parking structure and entrance on the south side of the NREL campus. While parking structures do not qualify for LEED certification, NREL's contractors (Haselden and RNL) will maximize energy efficiency of the new NREL parking garage through renewable energy, material selection and sustainable construction techniques. The garage is slated to be complete by spring 2012. Learn more by reading High-Tech Garage to Showcase Strategies for Reducing Energy.
As part of NREL's South Table Mountain Ingress/Egress Project, Moss Street will be extended north from South Golden Road to NREL's new south site entrance building, which is now under construction. To facilitate traffic flow, a new traffic circle will be built at Moss Street and South Golden Road. Construction on the traffic circle and the Moss Street extension begins in mid-September 2011 with shoulder work on the westbound lane of the South Golden Road. Work on both the traffic circle and the Moss Street extension is expected to be completed by summer 2012.
Energy Systems Integration Facility
The 185,000-square-foot building, to be located southeast of the existing Science & Technology Facility, will soon be the nation's only facility that can conduct integrated megawatt-scale testing of the components and strategies needed in order to safely move clean energy technologies onto the electrical grid "in-flight" at the speed and scale required to meet federal policy. ESIF will be built in accordance with the U.S. Green Buildings Council's standards and is expected, at minimum, to achieve at LEED Gold Certification. JE Dunn and SmithGroup have been selected to design and build the ESIF. Learn more by reading Transforming our Nation's Energy System.
NREL Central Detention Pond
Construction projects on the NREL Campus have significantly increased the amount of roof space and paved land on our site. In these locations, water runs off more quickly than from undeveloped land. The Central Detention Pond will temporarily detain run off from these areas and release it downstream, in a controlled manner. The pond, north of Pleasant View Park, covers more than five acres and can detain more than 3 million gallons of storm water. Construction crews will begin excavating the detention pond during the second week in August and excavation work will continue through late fall. This will include the removal and hauling of large amounts of dirt from site. The detention pond and landscaping will be completed in late spring of 2012.
NREL Cafeteria
Construction has begun on a new cafeteria, also known as the NREL Café, west of the Research Support Facility. This state-of-the-art, energy-efficient, daylit building will include seating for 290 employees and visitors. The Café will also serve up a large portion of sustainability-it is being designed to achieve a LEED Gold rating by the U.S. Green Building Council. Construction is expected to be completed in the summer of 2012.
