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Richard Piatt ReportingThe anniversary of the San Francisco quake is a reminder to people here that earthquakes happen in Utah too. One project at the Capitol is one of the few high-profile ways the state is facing that reality.
If a magnitude 7.0 quake--or stronger--hit Utah a couple years ago, the State Capitol would have crumbled, heavy concrete and marble pieces falling, devastating the landmark. 100 years ago, San Francisco's city hall was just one of thousands of buildings that did fall. The pictures seem part of a distant past, but they're a reminder of what could happen again.
That reality is what sparked a 212-million dollar capitol retrofitting and rebuilding project. Original footings are being removed and temporarily replaced by steel support beams, until rubber base isolation units can be installed. There will be 265 of them in all, each a kind of earthquake shock absorber.
Brent Rowley, Jacobsen Hunt Construction: "These isolators are designed to move 24 inches any direction in an event and come back to their original location."
It's about half done right now. It's still a delicate situation though. Transferring millions of tons has to be done precisely.
In the rotunda---which by itself is 10-million pounds-- cables will act like a suspension bridge to all four supports.
David Hart, Utah Capitol Preservation: "Some of the things that are going on downstairs have never been done before. And some of those things will be used on other projects."
The restoration part of the project is still underway. In fact, the earthquake retrofitting part was so invasive, the staircase to the house of representatives is still encased in wood. That's going to change very soon. The goal is to bring the capitol's original features back, but include extra safety and technology.
In the event of a 1906-San Francisco style earthquake, it's still possible massive death and destruction could happen here. What everyone is hoping is that by two years from now, Utah's State capitol won't be among those casualties.
The capitol project is expected to be finished by November of 2007.
