Construction on the Salt Lake Temple and Temple Square has continued during August 2022.
Construction on the Salt Lake Temple and Temple Square has continued during August 2022. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Trent Toone
By Trent Toone

How do you suspend a 187-million-pound historic temple while excavating 20 feet below its nearly 170-year-old foundation?

The answer: use reinforced steel tubes in a process called “jack and bore.”

Jack and bore crews are spending more than eight hours a day inside the steel tubes digging by hand below the massive temple to provide a seismic upgrade for the Salt Lake Temple.

It’s one of several projects currently underway at Temple Square, now in its third year of the major renovation. Photos of the construction and a YouTube video demonstrating the jack and bore process were released Friday in a news release from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The major renovation of the Salt Lake Temple and Temple Square began in December 2019.

Construction on the temple’s foundation, towers and additional excavation is expected to keep crews busy well into 2025, the Deseret News reported.

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Here’s a look at some of the other projects taking place on Temple Square.

New landscape design

Crews are remodeling many of the grounds and areas surrounding Temple Square. The new landscape design will better integrate the temple grounds with Main Street, the Church Office Building plaza and the northwest areas of the temple that surround it.

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Main Street Plaza

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Renovation on the Main Street Plaza began in April. The gardens, reflection pool and decorative landscaping were removed to repair and add new waterproofing to the decking that covers the underground employee parking garage.

The Main Street Plaza gardens, reflection pool and decorative landscaping are removed to repair and add new waterproofing to the decking.
The Main Street Plaza gardens, reflection pool and decorative landscaping, pictured in August 2022, were removed to repair and add new waterproofing to the decking that covers the underground employee parking garage as part of the Temple Square renovation project. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

New pavers and stonework

Crews are installing new pavers in the walking areas and new stonework is being added to the Church Office Building plaza.

Crews repair and add new waterproofing to the decking that covers the underground employee parking garage on the Main Street Plaza.
Crews repair and add new waterproofing to the decking that covers the underground employee parking garage on the Main Street Plaza during the Temple Square renovation project in Salt Lake City in August 2022. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
A construction worker lays new stone pavers on the Church Office Building plaza.
A construction worker lays new stone pavers on the Church Office Building plaza as the Temple Square renovation project continues in Salt Lake City in August 2022. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
An aerial view shows progress on the remodeling of the Church Office Building plaza.
An aerial view shows progress on the remodeling of the Church Office Building plaza in Salt Lake City in August 2022. When completed the plaza will include new garden areas, walking paths and an international country flag display. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Northwest gardens

A newly designed contemplative garden space northwest of the temple is taking shape. The gardens will include additional restroom facilities for visitors to Temple Square and events in the Tabernacle and Assembly Hall.

A view of the renovation work underway surrounding the Salt Lake Tabernacle on Temple Square.
A view of the renovation work underway surrounding the Salt Lake Tabernacle on Temple Square in Salt Lake City in August 2022. Space is set aside for new restroom facilities that will help support attendees of events at the Tabernacle and Assembly Hall. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
New planter boxes are built at the mid-block crosswalk on West Temple between Temple Square and the Church History Museum.
New planter boxes are built at the midblock crosswalk on West Temple between Temple Square and the Church History Museum during the Temple Square renovation project in Salt Lake City in August 2022. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Learn more about the Salt Lake Temple renovation by visiting templesquare.org or ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

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