In August, $194 million worth of various construction projects were completed around The University of Alabama campus.

Projects such as Lakeside Dining Hall and H.M. Comer Hall renovations and the new Freshman residence hall are a couple of examples of the new additions on campus.

Tim Leopard, associate vice president of construction administration, said he is impressed by how efficiently the projects were finished in time for the 2018 fall semester.

“There is a tremendous amount of effort and front-end planning that goes into these projects to ensure that we can get them done successfully,” Leopard said. “Whether it’s pre-buying equipment or just bidding the project early and getting the contractor a contract so he can order his materials in advance, we tried every little trick we can to make sure we can get it done.”

“We have several projects that are still under construction and several more that are still in design,” Leopard said.

Among the projects that are still in progress are the Capstone Parking Deck and the University Hall Renovation.

The new Freshman Hall houses almost 500 students with 480 beds and 14 RA rooms. The building also has a storm shelter that can hold about 1,518 students, faculty and staff.

“New freshman residence halls are much-appreciated and in need on campus to ensure that freshmen are adequately housed on campus,” said Gerald Fraas, a senior majoring in political science and economics.

Fraas said he thinks that there is not enough housing for freshmen on campus.

“It wasn’t unusual for me in First Year Council to have friends who were quite literally living in apartments off-campus as freshmen fresh out of high-school,” Fraas said.

One of Fraas’ concerns is the resident cost of the new Freshman Hall.

According to Housing and Residential Communities, rates for Freshman Hall run from $3,625 for a double room to $4,025 for a single room.

H.M. Comer underwent about 18 months of renovations. The hall is one of the renovation projects that was completed in August in time for the fall semester. It serves as the new location for the Science and Engineering Complex.

H.M. Comer Hall reopened as the home of the College of Engineering’s administration.

Fraas visited the newly renovated H.M. Comer Hall for the first time last week and said it is incredible.

Leopard said he felt that having finished these construction projects in August was a “Herculean” effort.

A helpful resource to stay informed about the campus and construction projects that Leopard recommends is the campus map.

“I would love to direct the students to the new campus map,” Leopard said. “I feel like it’s a great resource and a huge improvement from what we had.”

The new campus map shows students everything from bus routes to current construction projects and more.

Possible future projects include renovating the Aquatics Center. Leopard said a bid for the project will be submitted to the board in September.

“We have a lot of campus partners, and we have a lot of contractors in the Tuscaloosa community,” Leopard said. “For all of that to wrap up at that time, it is a huge testament to how hard they worked, internally and externally.”