Construction Update – Oct. 12, 2012
Posted 10/12/2012 2:10 PM
What is that noise!?!
Anyone who lives or works in downtown Milwaukee is, by now, probably familiar with the methodical "thud, thud, thud" echoing through the streets. That's the sound of the pile driver, driving hollow steel pipes into the ground at up to 58' deep in some places.
After the pile reaches its proper depth, it's filled with concrete to provide added structural support. "When we get to a point where it takes 60 hammer strokes to drive the pile one foot, we know we've reached the proper depth," said Will Wright, field superintendent with Hunzinger Construction.
The hammer weighs 6,615 lbs, and each stroke provides an estimated 55,000 foot-pounds of force to the pile. In total, 774 piles will be driven into the ground at the construction site. But don't worry—the hammering will be done by Thanksgiving.