Construction on Hunt, Le Mans and Lady Bird Johnson Halls started on Friday to replace the doors at the entrances of the three residence halls. Work is projected to be completed by the end of the week.

The entrance doors of the three residence halls are being replaced and an internal frame is being added to increase stability and reliability. Because the entrances are high-traffic areas, the doors that were previously installed would loosen or get out of alignment. When that would happen or when the doors would wedge, the doors did not secure properly.

“It just needed to be done,” said Physical Plant director Michael Peterson about replacing the doors. “It is a stronger set-up.”

The construction is a preventative measure to ensure that the doors will secure properly in the future, said Residence Life Associate Director Brian Obert.

“It’s not a reaction to an incident. Overtime it just became clear it was time [to replace the doors],” Obert said. “To do our best to prevent incidents from happening, we changed the doors to something more reliable.”

Obert added that the job, which is being done by hired contractors, is not as big of a project as it seems to be.

“It is really not a huge task,” Obert said. “Putting door frames in requires that they pull out part of the entrance.”

Obert said the swipe cards will work the same as in the past, and the new doors should be able to handle the amount of traffic that filters in and out of the building.

While work is being completed on the entrances, students living in the dorms will have to use alternative entrances. Students in Hunt and Le Mans can access their rooms from either entrance because the halls are connected on the second and fourth floor.

Students in Johnson, however, will have to check in with residence life staff and university police stationed at a checkpoint to enter the building because there is only one swipe card entrance.

The checkpoint ensures that “the building is still secure even when they are working,” Obert said.