Department of Energy officials announced Thursday that the Pretreatment Facility at the Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant is more than 30 percent complete with the construction of concrete walls for a fourth elevation for the building.
The building now reaches 77 feet tall, with two elevations remaining to be built.
"Once we finish concrete and steel construction, we can fully transition our focus to bulk commodity installations, such as heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment; piping and electrical components," said Ty Troutman, area project manager for the facility, in a written statement. "All of this will enable us to finish construction in 2015 and reach operations in 2019."
Crews used a specialized concrete pumping truck with an extendable arm to place the final three walls of the fourth elevation.
Large rebar curtains have been installed for the fifth elevation. Concrete work on the elevation will begin late this fall, said a news release.
The Pretreatment Facility is the largest of the four major nuclear facilities at the $12.2 billion Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant. When finished, it will contain more than 113,000 cubic yards of concrete, nearly 17,000 tons of structural steel and 102 miles of piping.
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Vit plant's concrete walls near 100 feet
Vit plant's concrete walls near 100 feet
Crews at the Hanford vitrification plant have finished installing the Pretreatment Facility's fifth elevation of concrete walls.
The walls now stand about 97 feet tall.
To place the latest walls, crews used a specialized concrete pumping truck with an extendable arm that reaches about 200 feet vertically or horizontally.
Vit plant lays off about 200 in construction
Vit plant lays off about 200 in construction
The Hanford vitrification plant has laid off close to 200 construction workers this month, but also is hiring nonconstruction workers.
Employment on the project is expected to remain within the typical range of 3,200 to 3,400 workers, including construction and nonmanual workers.
Nine months ago, 1,064 construction workers were employed at the project, but because of hiring since then, the number of construction workers after the layoffs is slightly larger at about 1,100, said Bechtel National spokeswoman Suzanne Heaston.
Design for facility at Hanford vit plant completed
Design for facility at Hanford vit plant completed
RICHLAND -- The final design detailing the structural concrete for the Pretreatment Facility at the Hanford vitrification plant has been completed.
The drawing represents the completion of the facility's concrete floors and results from more than 15,000 pages of calculations and 500 drawings. These calculations and drawings provide the details that enable crews to construct the massive concrete structure.
"Completing the structural concrete design for the Pretreatment Facility -- the largest vit plant facility -- is the culmination of more than 500 vit plant engineers' and designers' working over several years," said Tom Patterson, manager of engineering at the plant, in a Bechtel National news release. "It is an important milestone that enables us to fully support the vit plant's construction schedule."
Bridge crane in place at vit plant
Bridge crane in place at vit plant
Crews at the Hanford vitrification plant have received and set a bridge crane that is key to allowing construction of the plant's High Level Waste Facility to advance.
The crane, which has a 3-ton capacity, needed to be in place before piping could be installed above and around it.
Teamwork and coordination among engineering, procurement and construction workers allowed the crane to be delivered, then installed in a matter of days, said Joe St. Julian, Bechtel National area project manager for the facility.
Workers to patch Lewis Street underpass this week
Workers to patch Lewis Street underpass this week
Crews this week plan to patch the crumbling Lewis Street underpass that Pasco officials hope to replace with a $31 million railroad overpass as soon as grants can be found.
The underpass will be closed for a week starting today.
Part of the problem with the narrow overpass is that cracks are forming in the concrete, said Stan Strebel, deputy city manager.
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