Big Drill, Big Noise, Big Change

Workers at the BMU expansion site guide a drill
designed for rocky and wet areas. (photo JMW)

Before the building for the AS. Bookstore rises, a base must be dug. Working in a deep hole, workers have been preparing for geo-pier installation using a drill rig specifically designed for wet and rocky conditions. The drill bit spins, drills down, comes back up, swings to the side of the hole, and drops the material to the ground. The holes are then filled with the geo-piers that provide a structural base for the foundation of the buildings.

The work occurs in an area with sub-surface water. The Allen L. Bender construction company has seven wells, each about thirty feet deep, pumping 1,000 gallons of this water per minute out of the construction area. The water goes first to a settling tank and then into the storm drainage system. The settling tank allows any extra dirt or other particles to settle out so they don't go into the drainage system.

Like other buildings on campus that sit lower than sub-surface water, the new bookstore will have walls with a waterproof membrane and a drain system around its basement. As water rises, it will drain to a sump and from there into the storm drainage system. Typically, these kinds of systems drain about 150 gallons every twenty minutes.

The recent rains made work a muddy endeavor and delayed the project slightly. But Gerard Hughbanks, the general foreman, said, "We'll do whatever it takes to get back on the critical path," including working weekends and overtime. The end of the first phase is expected to coincide with the end of the year, and the building will be completed by September 2000.