By the hour, a concrete tower loomed ever higher over Rice Stadium.
Around 3 p.m. Wednesday, workers poured the final bucket of concrete that would cap the 177-foot structure.The tower is one of two to be built as part of the stadium expansion in advance of the 2002 Winter Games. The Games' opening and closing ceremonies will be conducted at the stadium.
Starting July 8, crews poured concrete around the clock using an innovative slip form lifted by an overhead crane approximately 1 inch every five minutes.
Two inside walls were poured simultaneously to ensure structural integrity and provide infrastructure for two elevators, a stairway and a shaft for heating, electrical and fire-control systems.
"In essence, we built 14 stories in seven days," said David Layton, vice president of Layton Construction Co. Inc.
The three-story high concrete form took three weeks to construct - nearly three times as long as the actual tower, Layton said.
Layton officials decided to use the slip-form process because it saves time and is safer than conventional construction methods, Layton said.
Recent hot temperatures have helped cure the concrete faster, he said.
Twenty construction professionals have worked atop the tower, literally rising along with the structure. Doors, windows and other fixtures have been established as the tower has been erected. To accommodate workers, a portable toilet was placed atop the structure so workers wouldn't have to climb down the structure when nature called.
Each tower will be capped by a structural steel roof. The towers will house press boxes and special suites. The complete project is expected to be completed by the start of the 1998 football season.
Last month, the Utah Board of Regents approved the issuance of a $55 million revenue bond to finance the project. The principal of the secured borrowing will be repaid with $10 million in private donations, $12 million from university reserves, $10 million from the Eccles Foundation and $8 million from the Salt Lake Organizing Committee.
The university expects to pay off the remaining $12 million with stadium revenues.
Layton said the work being conducted on the west side of the stadium will not affect the existing stadium for the 1997 football season.
The renovation/expansion project is expected to be completed by the start of the 1998 football season, Layton said.