IOWA CITY - The Mayflower Residence Hall has about $8 million in damage. It could be the most important building to get up and running in time for the fall semester. The dorm might have the biggest impact to the community as a whole.

If you have ever driven into Iowa City on a football Saturday, you know how bad the traffic is. Without this dorm 1,000 students would probably have to drive to campus, so everyday traffic could rival game day.

The University of Iowa gave KCRG-TV 9 the first public look inside the Mayflower Residence Hall. Crews have been here for more than a week, working 12 hour days, to clean arguably the most important buildings in Iowa City. Director of Residence Services Von Stange said, "This really was our only option to get this open, to make sure there's enough space. Not just for our campus but for the city itself."

Workers have completely stripped the first floor of sheet rock and insulation. They tossed out the exercise room and vending machines. Two-and-a-half feet of water flooded the first floor. Stange said, "Anything that is going to absorb water and moisture is cause for mold. It has to go."

The cleaning crew will give control of the building back to the university next week. That leaves 35 days to rebuild. Crews will work 24-7 to open the dorm and give a home to 1,000 students. If not, the university and Iowa City will have a handful of problems. Iowa City Planning Director Jeff Davidson said, "We create a lot of traffic issues when people live further out in the community and we prefer to have people live where they can walk to campus."

Housing in Iowa City is tight in the fall. Without Mayflower, it could be suffocating. The university is optimistic Mayflower will be open in time for early occupancy. That is August 18th, one week before classes start.

Email Steve Nicoles at Steve.Nicoles@kcrg.com