The dump trucks returned on Friday with about 30 lined up at 7:30 AM. In the second paragraph of Update #3, I described how the water and sewer lines under Wewatta Street were rerouted (see this blog page). Contrary to what said in that blog, only part of the original sewer line was removed when the bypass was activated. In the photo below, you can see what is probably the original sewer line. It’s the white, horizontal line between the bulldozer and the dump trucks. It has been exposed by today’s digging which is removing the ground I previously referred to as the temporary causeway between the main part of the bus box hole and the smaller hole that was dug for building the Wewatta Street shoring wall. The pipeline is probably being left in place for now because it provides shoring for the “driveway” that’s being used by the dump trucks. In the lower left corner of the photo, you can see the pieces of a second pipeline that is being removed as today’s digging progresses.
Please see our Denver Union Station page at JobSiteVistor.com for more photos including close-ups of the activity described in this blog.
This project seems to be moving along awfully fast. I know they said it would be complete in 4 years but will the bus station perhaps be finished before then? Do any elements of the station open for use before the whole thing is complete?
Matt, the new stations for the Light Rail and 16th Street Mall Shuttle will open before the other facets of the transportation facility. The bus terminal, Amtrak, etc will open at the completion of the project in about four years. The light rail and mall shuttle stations get priority because the existing stations must be removed before the bus box hole can be completely excavated to the back of the Union Station building. The first photo in Update #10 shows early work on the light rail station.