Middle Section Photo Gallery – Fall 2007Doodson's Corner ConstructionThe first three photos show the initial clearing for the rock cut at Doodson’s Corner, and the beginning of drilling and blasting which began in March 2007. In the last photo taken late June, crews have removed a good deal of rock since the first drill appeared. They have mesh prepared ready to hang and prevent loose rock from falling onto the completed highway.
This sequence shows the construction progress to October, 2007 at this massive rock excavation. Note that the rock removed from the top of the cut is crushed and sorted by a mobile crushing machine north of the excavation area. The recycled rock was then placed in the massive fill below the existing highway.
The aerial views in October show the technique for removing the rock is still the same: drill, blast, remove the rock with truck and excavator.
Rock work – inside a 30 minute traffic delayThe first picture shows the bluffs at the south end of Doodson’s corner with a drill rig and rock scalers on top of the rock face. The second shot shows the drill rig preparing holes for that evening’s blasting. At the same time rock workers on ropes are clearing loose rock from the slope to prevent the rock from falling on the highway. The third shot shows the rock that has been taken off the bluffs above the highway. After 20 minutes of rock scaling the rock workers must stop to allow the rock to be cleared and the highway swept clean for traffic. For the rock workers the hardest part of this job is standing perfectly still (so as not to dislodge any rock) as the traffic passes beneath them as they wait for their next work window.
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