Dam Fast

Back in the 1930s the Empire State Building was erected in a little more than one year and Hoover Dam in 21 months. Now it is often heard that they don’t build ‘em the way they used to. Some people think that the Century Freeway may take a century to complete. Relatively small buildings now go up at a virtual snail’s pace, as certainly do electric-power plants and other large construction projects.

But Engineering News Record has reported on a remarkable construction record in recent days. ASI General Contractors of Buena Vista, Colo., built a 139-foot-high, 1,300-foot-long dam in New Mexico this summer in just 55 days. The firm placed 114,500 cubic yards of roller-compacted concrete in building Grindstone Canyon Dam in the Sacramento Mountains near Ruidoso.

The water-supply dam, financed by Ruidoso with $7.5 million in bonds, was designed by Boyle Engineering Corp. of Newport Beach. Crews worked two 10-hour shifts a day during the May-July construction period. Four days’ work were lost to rainfall.

Grindstone Canyon is not Hoover, and faster is not always better. But ASI certainly has demonstrated that modern contractors can get the job done, too. And their speedy work undoubtedly resulted in a saving to Ruidoso taxpayers.