Unexpectedly, before nine thirty it was not possible to drive onto the campus Friday morning via the Kennedylaan. On the instructions of TU/e's Safety & Security department, a traffic controller was directing drivers to another entrance. The discovery by construction workers when they started work this morning of three aluminum shafts lying on the public road (De Zaale) prompted this situation. The shafts fell from the fifth floor, a height of around 20 meters, says foreman Jorre Wils of Van Wijnen.

These are shafts measuring 1.24 meter - similar in length to a fluorescent lighting tube. Hundreds of them are needed on the face of the building. The three that fell to the ground are unusable.

“The situation isn't dangerous, but safety comes first. The cause is not yet known and we will be investigating what has happened,” says Wils. He expects the problem to the manageable and to cause no delay to the renovation work.

 “There's no panic,” confirms Hay Becks of Safety & Security, “but we'd rather err on the side of caution. Safety First is the rule.” After the morning period of busy traffic, security reopened the campus entrance via the Kennedylaan. “Since nine thirty it has been possible to reach the car park of the Auditorium building. The passageway at De Zaale will remain closed today and tomorrow.”

According to the planning, De Zaale is due to be closed to traffic tomorrow, as it will be for the following three Saturdays in April. Wils: “We need another four days to finish our work on the edge of the roof overhanging the road. Closing the road on Saturdays creates the least disruption.”