Sections of People’s Park to close for soil assessment

Some sections People’s Park will be temporarily fenced off and closed to the public during a soil assessment project. (UC Berkeley photo by Brittany Hosea-Small)

Sections of People’s Park will be temporarily fenced off and closed to the public on Tuesday while survey crews conduct soil samples at the site.

The closures, which be focused mostly on the north and east sides of the park, will allow survey crews to bore holes as deep as 80 feet into the soil. Analyzing the soil at various depths is an important part of the design process to ensure buildings are seismically safe.

At no time will the park be fully closed to the public, UC Berkeley administrators said. The restrooms at the park will also remain open.

The closures are expected to last roughly one month and no trees will be cut down.

The work is an early step in the plan to build student housing and supportive housing on the site. Understanding the composition of the soil will help keep future residents of the housing planned for the site safer during an earthquake. Construction is not expected to be being until 2022 and the student housing will be completed by 2024.

The proposed project will also include revitalized open space that honors the history of the park.

More information can be found on the UC Berkeley Capitol Strategies webpage.