Construction Notes

Sidewalks (8/18/14)

As you can see, the sewer installation has ended along 2nd Street, and BBC contractors are laying a temporary sidewalk. When they are done, the fences will be moved to the curb line so we will have unimpeded, albeit with a slight deviation in front of McDonough, pedestrian access between E…

Cranes; Part I (3/3/16)

Construction projects start slowly. Site preparation involves only destruction rather than the promise of a new beginning. Utility replacement is usually an annoyance and the excavation and foundation work seems to last forever, revealing an ever deepening pit surrounded by unsightly…

D.C. Architectural Styles — 1750 to 1850

Work at the Capitol Crossing site is progressing at a dizzying pace. One must visit the…

Platform Construction Begins (2/4/16)

In my last Construction Note, I told you that steel beams and precast concrete planks would be arriving in February to begin the construction of the I-395 platform and tunnel. February has arrived and sometime during the next two weeks, these construction…

Elevators II

ELEVATORS II

My last Construction Noteleft the story of elevators at the turn of the 20thcentury, when art…

Concrete Towns and Steel Towns (10/26/16)

The long hot summer days are finally behind us, giving some respite to the many workers striving to bring the Capitol Crossing Project to fruition. In my last Construction Note, I described the steps that will be taken to move the historic Adas Israel…

Make No Little Plans (12/15/16)

The work and rhythms of the semester’s end come too quickly, causing students and faculty alike to scramble to complete the academic tasks that bring us to universities and law schools in the first place. Teaching law is my primary job and as a result, I have been a little…

Women in the Construction Industry

If you walked by the Capitol Crossing construction site recently, you would have noticed that the…

Who Lived Here Before Us; Part I (4/24/15)

Dear Colleagues,

As we approach the end of the school year, I thought I would write one more email to bring you up to date about the I-395 project. The Mayor’s official groundbreaking for the project will take place on May 12 at…