Upper campus residents used to taking the escalators at the Petersen Events Center will need… Upper campus residents used to taking the escalators at the Petersen Events Center will need to walk up 54 extra stairs on the way to their dorms this fall. The plaza adjacent to Concourse Entrance A, where the escalators let students off, is closed off due to the Petersen’s newest construction project.

This project is to repair “remediate deterioration caused by poor construction,” Robert Hill, vice chancellor of public affairs, said in an e-mail.

The construction is scheduled for completion by the end of this month. After a period of “curing,” the plaza will re-open around Oct. 31, according to Hill.

Contractors replaced the roof of the Petersen Events Center in 2005 due to leaking, which cost almost $6 million, according to previous Pitt News stories. Hill said the university has taken action to recoup its loss.

A construction worker on site would not say what had caused the problem, deferring all questions to Hill.

Hill would not comment on the cause of the poor construction or state how much the repairs will cost, saying Pitt has not yet released this information.

The Peterson Events Center cost $119 million at its completion in 2002.