The $3.1 million renovation of O’Brien Field has yet to be completed as a combination of factors has slowed the completion of the track for several months.

Stephen Shrake, associate director for design and campus projects, said the process has been slowed by inclement weather, bad soil beneath the surface of the track and water surfacing from beneath the track.

The bad soil beneath the surface of the track caused extreme rutting by the construction equipment as the construction crew was forced to use lime stabilization to harden the surface of the soil.

“Lime stabilization is a process that mixes lime with the soil, causing the soil to become much firmer and resists rutting,” Shrake said. “That took 30 or 40 days to resolve.”

The renovation process came to another halt when the first layer of polyurethane was found to cause water beading on the surface of the rubber in certain locations.

“The water beading is an unusual event that the contractor had not experienced before, so they took some core samples to have tested in a laboratory setting,” Shrake said. “We are meeting with them next week to hear and review the results. Until then, we are in a holding pattern.”

Along with the bad soil and beading, Charleston received a large amount of rain, resulting in another delay to the construction process.

“We received between five and six inches of rain over a several day period just prior to the start of the polyurethane installation,” Shrake said. “The weather entered a period where we were having a rain event every few days so the contractor pulled off the track.”

Although the renovations at O’Brien Field have experienced several delays, Shrake said the construction crew is aware of the scheduling requirements this spring and will have the track completed by the start of the outdoor track season.

“Until I meet with the contractor next week, I can’t say (a date when the track will be completed),” Shrake said. “Obviously, we have some committed dates next spring for EIU and OVC track events along with the Special Olympics and IHSA track events in May.”

Once the track is laid, it has a warranty period of five years and will complete the 3.1 million dollar renovation process of O’Brien Field.

The renovation process included replacement of the football turf, modifications to the visitor bleachers, relocating the jumping events to the area between the track and the visitor bleachers, and rebuilding the throwing area to comply with the NCAA requirements.

Jordan Pottorff can be reached at 581-2812 or jbpottorff@eiu.edu.