The Week of April 20, 2020 — Dirt, Blocks, Trenches, Road Realignment, Holes, the Pandemic Continues, and the Construction Goes On
There are more signs that the project is moving toward completion. The three construction yards (north yard, south yard, and east yard) are not needed so much anymore. The cranes, the steel, the heavy and oversized equipment, and the aerial lifts are now gone. For the most part, The big bulky stuff, attributed to the construction, is imperceptibly disappearing on a daily basis. Now that most of the construction activity has shifted to the interior of the building, most of the storage containers, and smaller equipment can be returned to the rental companies or moved back to the subcontractor’s construction yard. This attrition allows for the surveyors to come back on sight and begin work on the rough grade work. The southwest section was the first area to be surveyed and rough graded. This week McCarthy (the contractor) closed the east Anderson Street gate to allow for the surveyors and heavy equipment to begin removing the asphalt and rough grading this section before work begins on the underground utilities and the final grade. Now that the east lifts are gone and the main work entrance to the interior of the building having been relocated on the south side, the east yard is no longer the hub of activity where all the laborers and supplies and materials congregated to take a lift up to the various floors.
The east side of the campus will include a new entrance to be relocated a few yards south closer to Barton Road. Upon entering the east entrance, one will have the opportunity to turn right where the road will pass the flag poles and bend to the left (west) into a small parking lot (north parking) where there will be approximately 30 parking spaces that include 10 handicap spaces. This north lot will exit at the east end of the main entrance. This area will be the last to be rough graded as all of the construction trailers are currently located in this area (on the southwest corner of Anderson Street and Prospect Avenue).
To enter the east parking lot, the driver will go through east entrance, turn right and take an immediate left down a sloping drive where to the left there will be approximately 50 parking spaces (12 of which will be reserved handicap spaces). Just to the south of the east parking lot, it is my understanding this is where an amphitheater is planned. This is the area where the rough grade excavation is going on. Included in the excavation, a rough cut is being made from the upper grade main drive to the lower level where the east parking lot will be. An approximate, fifteen foot high retaining wall will be constructed to separate the upper road to the east parking lot below.
Once the east side has been completed, the crew will move to the southeast area where the rough grading will begin. Currently this section is the holding area for storage pods, equipment, and other materials. This area will be cleared out in the next couple of weeks.
On Wednesday, April 22, 2020, the main entrance to the Medical Center was fenced off so work can begin on the permanent realignment of the main entrance to the Loma Linda University Health Troesh Medical Campus. This change or rerouting will coincide, and to be less disruptive to patients and visitors, with the ongoing construction of the Galleria and Main Entrance Canopy. The main Troesh Medical Campus entrance will be off of Prospect Avenue just west of Anderson Street..