In an effort to prevent vehicles from further damaging classrooms in the basement of Turlington Hall, the UF Physical Plant Division is installing 14 steel poles near the building.
Buddy Vaughan, a Physical Plant maintenance supervisor, said the poles, or steel bollards, near the staircase of Turlington Hall will be completely installed by Wednesday.
The poles are being installed because trucks for newspaper or vending delivery often park over the classrooms and offices in the Turlington basement, although they have been asked to stop.
He said the heavy trucks have damaged expansion joints beneath the pavement, causing leaks in the ceilings of the rooms.
The project will cost about ,2,500 for labor and materials, Vaughan added.
The joints are designed to help relieve pressure on the concrete pavement, which expands during hot weather and contracts during cold weather.
The trucks pose a larger safety issue, he said.
"We want to keep the Pepsi truck from winding up down in the basement," Vaughan said. "I don't know how much those trucks weigh, but we don't want something bad to happen."
