chapter 372

1/25/2015

DOT Redux

47 years not so long ago

So, no one cares but, I love my old pics. Next month's photo club theme is Transportation so I'm picking some of my best shots which happen to be from way back. They were only with a simple Petri rangefinder camera but still captured more of a story than my more recent stuff. I saw a lot of concrete poured back then. Usually it was directly from a big batch plant mixer truck but these open side dump trucks were used in certain situations.

This is laying the steel reinforcing mesh a third of the way from the top of a 6 inch I-90 highway slab. Date 1968 next to Patroon Creek on the right polluted by Tobin Packing's slaughter house pig blood. As I look at image I can still smell that odor that was in the air. Can still hear the pigs squealing through the air holes on the trailer trucks headed for the plant. In far distance National Lead is releasing radioactive air discharges and mercury contamination to the ground, sorry. Laborer #9 was a frosh for SU football, can't recall name maybe from Mount Pleasant. The talented running back Ron Page Mount Pleasant '69 was also in that era and worked our job site. Short Portuguese laborer with hat used the vibratory compactor along the edges to remove air voids to maintain integrity of a uniform strong slab.

The operating engineer mans the mechanical powered screed giving a back and forth sawing motion to settle the concrete into the form with a smooth surface as it inches forward. The cement worker masons pull the yellow long handled lute floats to give a final surface finish. This ramp connects I-90 eastbound with I-787 southbound to the Capitol. I was one the first corvette drivers on this slab before it was opened to the public.

There are many ways to pour concrete depending on the location and complexity of the situation. This a 3/4 yard motorized dump. Always reinforcing high strength steel rebars for bridge deck strength. I-90 looking to the east or one of the ramps: on the right can see the white Nipper Dog sitting on the RCA building on Broadway in the distance.

The start of a deck pour began around 6:30am to make sure there was a continuous slab, no dry unsound joints. Think it was I-90 over Broadway Menands Albany. Vibrator attached to electrical hose. Crane brought in the big bucket holding several cubic yards of concrete. A laborer or two would use their whole body weight to pull down the lever on the left to release a load. Vandals among us added their symbols (backwards).

Bird's eye view of crane from the basket as he lifted us up 70 feet to the top of a pier cap for inspection and survey control. Later he'd haul the big bucket of concrete up to fill the formed cap.

Feeling like on top of world on Northern Boulevard and kind of spooky. Not everyone would go up here. I thought it was fun. Laborers snaking tubing for the concrete vibrator into place through the forms. Distant ramp connected Arbor Hill to I-787 southbound.

Manual screed operation was required in certain difficult tight locations. Red headed John O'Sullivan on left was our assistant Engineer in Charge for this contract project and mentor to us junior engineers. He supervised at all the DOT Interstate Highway projects in and around the Capitol region. Passed away 2013. We weren't supposed to participate in the operations, union labor rules. 

One of my survey partners was Bob Stricos pretending to be a brooding hippie here. A quality capture I thought.

Thinking it would be a good before and after shot (and chapterworthy),  I googled Bob in Guilderland and we had a meet up for lunch. Hadn't seen for 44 years and I wouldn't have recognized him. Turns out he retired in 2003 like me but spent his career at DOT. Surprised he is into long distance biking. Telling me about his trek to New Orleans then Jacksonville 2100 mile (one way) sleeping under bridges, etc. Now FB buddies.

These Interstate highways are so important to our society. Although we were an insignificant part of creating these infrastructures we were a part of that team effort.

These pics were also a part of my DOT Chapter 178 video created several years back. I'd spoken to another important assistant project engineer, Ed Kulesa, when I compiled that chapter. Ed Kulesa passed away this week.

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