A rendering of the Cofrin Technology and Education Center planned for the UW-Green Bay campus.
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Some of the tunnels that connect buildings on the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay campus will be removed.
The removal is part of the project to replace the Cofrin Library with the new Cofrin Technology and Education Center.
University leaders say the current library sits at the center of the tunnel system, meaning some connections will be cut off after the library is torn down.
“Right now, it can be difficult to get around our campus because of the building and because of the tunnels. Because of the way we’re now going to shift things, it’s going to make that a lot easier to move around,” UW-Green Bay Chancellor Mike Alexander said.
Currently, the tunnels form a plus shape and connect most academic buildings.
Right now, students can travel indoors from one end to another, each direction without going outside.
According to a university blog post:
- The direct indoor route between Mary Ann Cofrin Hall (MAC Hall) and Rose Hall will no longer exist. Rose Hall and Wood Hall will remain connected.
- The tunnel connection across campus from Student Services (SS) to Instructional Services (IS) will be broken. The campus community will still be able to travel indoors from SS to IS via tunnels at the University Union and Mary Ann Cofrin Hall.
- Many tunnel segments will remain, but they will no longer form a continuous cross-campus route.
Despite the main tunnel hub being removed, Alexander said students will still be able to travel north and south across campus continuously through the tunnels.
“It’s just you’re going to have to walk a slightly different way to the tunnels to get to the place you’re still going to, or you might have to walk a few yards outside to get to the new library, the new Cofrin Technology Education Center, that would be the only disruption that is happening,” Alexander said.
Alexander described the change as simply adding a new building to campus that won’t be connected to the tunnels.
In a post about the tunnel changes to UWGB’s Facebook page, alumni and students are sharing their concerns.
Jonathan Wickert wrote “During the winter months it was so nice to get into one building and just tunnel your way wherever you had to go.”
Alex Carmichael commented, “This is an incredibly absurd decision.”
The current Cofrin Library site will become a new quad.
While Alexander understands people’s passion for the tunnels, he said the changes will be well worth it.
“We’re always going to have tunnels at UW-Green Bay, but we also have to recognize the opportunity that we have with the beautiful campus that we have and all of our alumni know that as well,” Alexander said.
Changes to the tunnel system are scheduled to take place in 2027.
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