244 Foot Crane Now On Hospital Construction Site and Why There Is Such A Huge Pile Of Dirt On The North End

You may have noticed that there is now a very very tall crane on the Children's Hospital Construction site, formerly Laurelon Terrace Condominiums.

The crane, which stands some 244 feet tall,  was installed in the last two days.  The Hospital Construction Blog says the crane will be used by the construction team over the next year to move heavy materials.

The Blog says "The tower crane will be higher than the hospital building itself. In fact, the bottom of the crane’s boom is 40 feet higher than the top of the mechanical penthouse.  This is because clearance is needed between the top of the building and the crane’s hook and cable.

"The crane will stretch along the construction site but will not swing over adjacent private property. It will be active during construction hours which generally run from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m."

A few notable facts about the crane mentioned on the Blog:
• It is a model known for its quality and durability
• It can lift up to 40,000 pounds
• It has a 147 horse-power, four speed motor
• It is all electric: it has no motor noise and is more environmentally friendly than other cranes

You may have also noticed an enormous pile of dirt, covered with a white tarp, on the north end of the construction site, that keeps getting bigger and bigger. See the picture below.

Tim McKey, Project Superintendent with Sellen Construction, told us that early in the design phase of the project a concern was raised by the hospital about ways to reduce the construction impact on the surrounding neighborhood, including reducing the amount of trucks coming and going to and from the site.

Thus, Tim said that "a decision was made to retain as much of the foundation excavation material as possible on site and incorporate it into the design, rather than trucking it off. The dirt is being stockpiled and covered for now, and in the summer of 2012 will be used to contour the site around the new building and create surface parking lots, rain gardens and planting areas."

For questions about the construction, call 206-987-6197 or email construction@seattlechildrens.org.