As construction preparations are made for the new University of West Georgia Bookstore in the coming weeks, motorists near West Georgia Drive and University Drive will need to be aware of work crews.

Mike Conley, UWG executive director of architecture, engineering and construction, said West Georgia Drive may be closed for a few days to allow workers to run 4-inch duct bank conduits for electrical lines under the road to the site of the new store. The site that will be the 23,000-square-foot facility has been fenced off and grading should begin soon.

“The (road) work should commence fairly immediately and should be done before students return for school,” he said.

Total cost of the bookstore will be about $5 million and is scheduled to be completed in May 2011 and open in time for student use in the fall.

Conley said market studies have shown 14,000 pedestrian trips past the site per week. The parking lot, one of the busiest in the campus area, is at the intersection of the two primary roads around campus.

Bob Swanson, UWG assistant director of auxiliary services and bookstore manager, said the store processes 68,000 transactions each year at the current location, but he expects that number to rise after the move.

The bookstore profits will be used to repay government bonds for the project. Swanson does not doubt the ability to make the payments.

Conley said a food service component will be attached to the bookstore, but will not be accessible through the store, allowing it to have independent operating hours.

He said several environmental features have been designed into the new building, including sensors which will allow more natural light during the winter and help heat the building. On the contrary, shading the glass during the summer will help keep the building cool. Rain collection features will filter rain water to use in irrigation around the building.

Like the bookstore project, the ongoing $8 million campus library renovation is being funded through construction bonds. The work is expected to be completed in May 2011.

Conley said the ground and first floors of the library are receiving major renovations with minor renovations to the second and third floors.

“The library looks great,” he said, noting that 75 percent of the work on the ground floor is complete.

The Ingram Library project is slightly more complicated than the bookstore project because construction crews have to work with the existing utilities and space while keeping the facility open for student use.

The ground floor was used primarily for storage and a computer lab, Conley said. It will contain books for students, moved from the first floor.

The first floor will be a learning commons, with several seating areas for students to study in groups. A Starbucks is also going to be added.

Conley said Townsend Gardens, located near the library, will also be renovated and will feature seating for students and wireless Internet access.

“Everything has been on time and, so far, on budget [with both projects],” he said.