Cost of repairing Ole Miss track rises to $7.3 million

Published 10:45 am Tuesday, May 26, 2015

OXFORD (AP) – The cost to renovate the University of Mississippi’s track facility is going up by $3.3 million after the university decided it had to replace a 5-foot diameter drain pipe running underneath.

The College Board approved the additional spending last week, boosting the cost of the project from the $4 million originally budgeted to $7.3 million.

Ground around the track, built in 2002, began developing holes in late 2013, and a sonar survey showed large cavities underground. The drain pipe was found to be undermining the soils, causing the track and an adjacent building to be closed.

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Ole Miss will build a new drain pipe and then fill and stabilize the soil, replacing the rubber track, drainage and adjacent surfaces. Ole Miss will pay for the project with internal funds.