Dear Friends,
As we all know, the BIG job this week on ISHA Hill is to dig out the foundation for the Dome Meeting Hall. Here are some photos of that work in progress.
The excavator has started to remove material where the Dome basement will be located. Water is sprayed to keep down dust and help stabilize the sediment. The excavator operator dumps the material in a pile on the right, whereupon the bulldozer operator moves the material to where it’s needed elsewhere on the Hill.
The dozer is moving earth from the high spots to the low spots, according to the engineering plan for the final land surface of the site. This CAT D6K2 Medium Track-Type Tractor Bulldozer weighs nearly 30,000 lbs, has a blade capacity of 4-5 cubic yards, and can zip along up to about 6 mph.
As the earth is spread by the dozer, this Hamm H5i Compactor, equipped with a vibrating roller drum, is driven over the loose earth. The weight of the machine (11,000 pounds) and the vibrating motion of the drum provide full compaction. The compactor can move at a blistering 3.7 miles per hour!
By Tuesday, the steady work of the sevadars had created such a large pit that the dozer was driven into the hole to push material within reach of the excavator bucket.
In this photo, the sevadar operators of all three pieces of heavy equipment are performing a well-rehearsed choreography of earth moving!
The project is progressing well, with new challenges and exciting changes every day. Stay tuned for more blogs on Ishwar’s Big Dig!
With Warmest Regards,
Paul Bauer
Chair of ISHA Building & Fund-Raising Committee
Paul Bauer
Chair of ISHA Building & Fund-Raising Committee