The university has informally asked the Otago Regional Council to delay flood work on the Water of Leith at Dundas St until after December 2019 so as not to interfere with its 150th anniversary celebrations.
A regional council report released this week says this would mean work could not begin until summer 2020-21, a delay of about two years.
The council has budgeted $4.5million for the Leith flood protection scheme in the next three years in its draft long term plan.
The report notes delaying the work would have financial and resourcing implications for the council.
It would also delay the reduction in flood risk for parts of the central business district, including parts of the university campus and the existing and proposed hospital sites.
``There would be less certainty about the state of the construction market expected at the time the works are to be undertaken.
``Further and full analysis may identify other risks and implications for ORC and the community.''
The project would not occur on land owned by the university and the institution was not funding any of the works, the report said.
Construction is planned to begin this summer and is expected to take more than six months.
A university spokeswoman said the institution had for ``several years'' been affected by the council's works and wished for them to not affect ``access to and enjoyment of'' the 150th celebrations.
``Having Dundas St closed for six to seven months will have a significant impact on accessibility to the campus and is likely to exacerbate the traffic flows on the surrounding streets.''
As it was only an informal request, there had been no detailed discussions with the council and the university was not aware of, nor had it considered, a financial impact on the council, the spokeswoman said.
The flood risk would likely be considered when both institutions continued their discussions, she said.
Regional council engineering, hazards and science director Gavin Palmer said the proposed works involved widening the Water of Leith at Dundas St by placing a large box culvert at the western side of the bridge.
The council would also build retaining walls immediately upstream and downstream of the bridge and on the western side of the channel, and use rock formations to increase the stability of the banks and river bed.
The council will decide today whether to create an analysis of the risks and effects involved so it can make an informed decision about whether to delay the works.
