BENCHMARK SCHEDULE OUTLINES
CAPE HATTERAS LIGHTHOUSE RELOCATION
The target timeline schedule for the relocation of the Cape Hatteras Light Station and its various facilities including keepers' quarters, cisterns, oil house and the lighthouse has been developed by International Chimney Corporation and approved by the National Park Service. The schedule is fluid and can be expected to be adjusted on a weekly basis as the project moves forward. Weather conditions, worker safety and lighthouse preservation will play a role in determining the forecast for specific actions.
"When the numerous specific moving activities begin will depend on factors other than the target dates we have projected," said Joe Jakubik, Project Manager for International Chimney Corporation, the firm that will be moving the lighthouse. "People arriving on a specific date expecting to see a specific activity according to the timeline will likely be disappointed. The timeline however provides good definition for the sequence of events, the order in which the relocation effort will occur, and a reasonable estimate of the time frame for activities to begin and end. But weather considerations, safety and engineering will dictate the exact dates."
Construction mobilization which will include the installation of necessary construction facilities, temporary utilities and security measures will begin December 14, 1998. Also beginning during this initial period will be pre-move surveying on all structures and the set up of public information and viewing facilities. Instruments for monitoring the move will be installed on the lighthouse itself and will be maintained for the entire length of the project.
January: Move corridor clearing, grading and compaction and preparation of the new relocation site will begin. This process is expected to take 6 months from start to finish and will be a continuing activity for most of the life of the project. Utilities to the lighthouse and other facilities at the station will be disconnected. Preparatory work and protection/bracing installation will begin. Initial excavation work around the lighthouse will begin.
February: Major excavation and dewatering around all the facilities will be underway and the separation of the lighthouse from its foundation and the accompanying shoring and grouting activities will begin. This work will continue for approximately 10 weeks. The two keepers' quarters, the cisterns and the oil house will be lifted and transported to their new location which will have been previously prepared.
March: The final outbuilding, the Principle Keepers Quarters will be move to its new location early in the month. Further lighthouse foundation separation, shoring and grouting will continue. Move corridor grading and compaction will begin.
April: Foundation cutting, shoring and grouting will continue late into the month. Installation of the support frames and the hydraulics and jacks necessary for the move of the lighthouse will occur late-April. . Construction of the lighthouse's new foundation slab will begin at the relocation site. New foundations for the keepers quarters and the cisterns are prepared and these structures connected.
May: Pre tension beams will be installed underneath the lighthouse and pressurization of the hydraulic system will occur. Once the system is pressurized, the shoring towers will be removed and the lighthouse lifted. Track steel and roller dollies will begin to be placed underneath the lighthouse.
June: The lighthouse will be lowered onto the track and transport to the new site will be initiated. The old site will be backfilled and graded. Track steel will be leapfrogged from back to front as the lighthouse continues its transport to the new site. The transport phase of the lighthouse is estimated to take approximately 4 to 6 weeks. The lighthouse will be lowered to its new foundation using a process which is the reverse of the lifting process.
July, August and September: Lighthouse arrives at it new location in late-July — early-August. New foundations, new site repairs/restoration and final grading will take place. The old site will be cleaned up and final grading done. Materials used to stabilize the move corridor will be removed and the corridor returned to its natural condition. All construction facilities will be removed and a post-move survey completed. Park Service personnel will begin dune and vegetation restoration of the area.
October: Construction of support facilities - roads, utilities, buildings including restrooms begins (The contract for this phase of work will be bid out in summer of 1999 through the normal governmental processes).
"We are pleased with this schedule," said Bob Reynolds, Superintendent of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. "My goal is to have the light station and the lighthouse open for public use by Memorial Day of 2000."
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