 |
| I was thrilled to catch a pier being removed from inside the tabernacle. |
 |
| Mike, King of the World, operates the crane which lifts out the piers once they are cut away. I think he saw me running from the end of the south lot to catch the picture, so he held it in place for an extra minute. |
 |
| He then unceremoniously dumped it in the pier pile in the south lot. |
 |
| The north and east piers are gone except for under the towers. This pier came from the south interior. |
 |
| My camera peered into the basement through the southeast corner gap. It was nice to see the north interior wall without its piers! |
 |
| I know we aren't supposed to have a favorite child, but I hope it's OK to have a favorite side of the tabernacle. For me, it's the east side. |
 |
| With the I-beams gone, my camera zoomed in and saw a red ladder helping out. |
 |
| The neighboring beam-window showed these three supports which are under the northwest tower which is still supported by piers. |
 |
| Much of today's energy was focused on the west side. |
 |
| The northwest tower has a concrete base which rests on those three supports. Notice the forms which are shaped around the octagonal tower. |
 |
| The southwest tower is getting the same treatment. I watched these men work while I chatted with Lee Cowan who was also photographing the tabernacle. His father, Dr. Richard Cowan, is writing a book about Provo's two temples. Lee is taking the pictures for this undertaking, which will be published as a non-profit book by BYU's Religious Studies Center. I will keep you posted on the availability of this book, which will most likely be published near the time of the temple dedication. |
 |
| I have met Lee and his father before at the site. They are quite knowledgeable about the construction. Lee and I were both hoping to get pictures of the final lift pour for the west side, but that didn't happen this morning. |
 |
| But we talked long enough for the men to spray the fill-in stuff around the forms so the concrete can be poured under pressure. Notice the gasket where the concrete pump will connect. |
 |
| This southwest corner of the west lot was poured this morning. There are several basins in this lot to catch impurities from the parking garage. The wooden fence on the left marks the boundary between the Nu Skin property and the temple site. Notice the orange hard hat on the lower right of this photo. |
 |
| I took the previous picture while standing on the other side of the jersey barrier where the two men on the lift are working. This portion of the barrier wall is being covered with a waterproof covering. |
 |
| Mr. Drill Rig is working non-stop placing micropiles in the south lot. There is a lot to see in this picture. The pile of piers is on the left. The cement truck is aiming for the concrete pump in the west lot. The white pipes, on the right, are French drains. These are likely intended for the north lot, but ultimately they will cover the entire site. |
 |
| I hope this picture helps orient you to where everything is on the construction site. You can see the long blue arm of the concrete pump on the left side of this picture. The two tower caps visible in the upper right hand side of this picture are in the northeastern corner of the lot along Center Street. If you are still lost, an older post has some maps which will straighten you out. |
 |
| The new south entrance is very steep, but that doesn't slow anyone down. |
 |
| Mr. Track Hoe always works fast and furiously, and today was no different. |
 |
| If you are one of the many who keeps a close eye on the construction cam, you know it's been fun watching the north lot. The area between the tabernacle on the left and the slab on the right is being prepared for a slab to join the two. |
 |
| The micropiles were drilled a few weeks ago. The French drains are placed comfortably in a bed of gravel. If the aquifer rises, it will flow into the drains and be pumped away. |
 |
| The large openings in the foundation will be part of Lower Level 1. Patrons can enter the temple from the underground garage in the south lot, walk through the lower level and enter the annex at this point. |
 |
| These pier remnants will be part of the new foundation. Remember that they have micropiles inside to hold the slab down. |
 |
| Work continues on the southwest tower. The top 13 feet were removed because of fire damage, but it looks better every time I see it. |
 |
| Mayor Curtis announced today that rocks from the foundation of Provo's first tabernacle have been placed in Pioneer Park. |
 |
| We are all pleased about that! |
6 comments:
So many great shots in this post. Q1. In 'North lot piers 1.jpg' - we see truncated piers with some kind of ring near the top. Are these piers at their final height or is there more doctoring to come? I am wondering about the function of the rings.
Q2. We seem to have lost the trench from the last post near tbe West lot barrier. What was it's function.
Q3. Ok the tower crane operator close-up was the winner, but I had to wonder if your camera has that much zoom, or if you enhanced more off camera?
Q4. Since they already had a south ramp in seemingly the permanent location; why was it prudent to build another temporary one with what appears tp be asphalt on it?
Q5. Even though I saw 2 pump efforts on the webcam, I was unable to determine if they were pressure lifts or regular floor pours. How much of the pressure lifts are incomplete?
Is was also cool to see that the inside of the foundation walls are not flat.
It's cool that we can count on you because the webcam seems inop again.
1. I am curious about the rings, too. I don't know their final height, but I'll watch this with my camera ready.
2. I'm puzzled about the trench in the west lot, also. Lee, the other photographer, said he's seen them working there often. I need to ask. But I think this was a cut-off wall extension, a grout barrier.
3. My camera is that good. I only squared off the photo since I caught the crane cab a little off-center. In fact, the only reason I bought the camera is for the zoom. It has a few other nice features, but the zoom is the best. We can all thank my engineer-husband for researching this and selecting it for me.
4. Moving the ramp was planned weeks earlier because I knew it was going to happen. I am guessing that something else is planned for that far southwest corner. I looked hard at the topping on that ramp. It doesn't look like asphalt, although it was black two days earlier. I think it's gravel that they are keeping wet.
5. I think the visit by the concrete pump Friday night was for the pressure pours on the final lift. We'll know if I'm right if we see the forms coming off. Well, we'll see that if the cam starts working again. I won't get to the site again today, but I might get there Monday, or at the latest, Tuesday morning.
And thanks for your kind words.
Julie, the entrance to the south lot was removed so micropilings can be drilled for the real entrance in the corner of the lot. Also, do you notice the coupliers on the re-bar? This allows extensions to be put on the original re-bar which was inserted and cemented right after drilling. I also noticed that some of the pilings are not showing re-bar that have been drilled. That is because they would be in the way of traffic. They are temporally burred but will be unearthed when construction gets to those areas. Another thing on the gaskets for the cement. I believe they are called a cement gate which is hammered down once the area is full of cement. Thanks for the great pictures. I look forward daily to see what new ones you have posted. Thanks KC
Thank you for your helpful comments. I like the descriptive phrase "cement gate." I am at the edge of my understanding of the micropiles, but I will look for ways to photograph what you have said so we all understand it better. And I'll watch for the entrance to be moved west again, although on Friday the track hoe was working hard to make the new entrance nice. Thanks again.
It seems odd that the south dog leg entrance is facilitated by the existing site footprint (like why isn't the site more rectangular)? I wonder if the PO sale would generate a different solution - but in the meantime. Do you have history on that space?
I had a conversation about that very thing with a knowledgeable onlooker last week. Checking city property deeds would be helpful. Instead, I'll find someone to ask.
Post a Comment