Concrete Today - Concrete At The Canyon

We would like to extend a special Thank You to Concrete Today for their featured article on the Grand Canyon Skywalk Project and Global Mixers.

One of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World is a crown jewel in the tourism industry. People schedule precious vacation time for visiting such magnificent destinations as Mount Everest, the Great Barrier Reef and, of course, North America’s biggest hole –the Grand Canyon.

Geologists claim the canyon is actually a fairly young “wonder”. The oldest rocks at the canyon bottom are nearly 2 billion years old. As a result of massive erosion, the canyon itself, was formed only in the past 5 million to 6 million years. Suffice to say “young” is a relative distinction.

Last year, the Grand Canyon made headlines and piqued the curiosity of global visitors with the opening of Skywalk. Located at Grand Canyon West, Skywalk is approximately 120 miles east of Las Vegas and 72 miles northwest of Kingman, Arizona. While the Grand Canyon’s approximate 5 million annual visitors access the canyon at the South Rim, The Skywalk (which is not affiliated with the National Park Service) has welcomed approximately 200,000 visitors since opening in March 2007.

“The Skywalk has not only brought people to Grand Canyon West, it’s renewed interest in the Grand Canyon as a whole,” Grand Canyon Resort Corporation CEO Sheri Yellowhawk said. “It’s great that people are discovering they have a choice of Grand Canyon destinations.”

Buzzing the Skywalk

The indigenous 2,000-member Hualapi tribe agreed to the Skywalk’s estimated $40 million construction on a portion of its land, in hope of increasing tourism revenues. The project, which began March 2004, was built along the canyon’s western rim. It welcomes 3,000 visitors daily, and that number continues to grow.

Grand Canyon Skywalk David Jin said, “My dream was to find a balance between form, function and nature – once a dream…now a reality.”

On March 20, 2007, members of the Hualapai tribe and Native American Astronaut John Herrington walked simultaneously from opposite sides of The Skywalk to join Apollo II Astronaut Dr. Buzz Aldrin in the center.

Aldrin, known for making historic first steps on the moon, led the “First Walk” on the Grand Canyon Skywalk, an architectural marvel. The horseshoe-shaped glass walkway is suspended 4,000 feet above the Colorado River. After his latest famous walk, Aldrin proclaimed, “This magnificent ‘first walk’ bridges centuries of vision towards the future of hope.”

Volumetric Remote Mixer Saves the Day

Getting to the point where the Skywalk was operational presented considerable construction challenges. First, the location is remote. The 14-mile stretch of unpaved Mojave Country road leading to Grand Canyon West was only recently approved for widening and improvements.

“The road will eventually be paved, but until then, we are working in conjunction with Mojave County to make it easier for our visitors to drive to Grand Canyon West,” Yellowhawk said. “We still encourage every driver to take note that Grand Canyon West is located in a remote wilderness region like much of the rural Southwest. As a general safety measure, all car travelers should familiarize themselves with the terrain and surroundings of the area before making the trip and should travel with a working spare tire kit and bottled water.”

Concrete contractor Hal Barrett, owner of the Las Vegas based Orbit Mobile Mix and Transport Inc., said completing the project, which included pouring 225 yards of concrete, was nothing short of challenging.

“We had one truck on site and used an 8-yard Global Mixer to do the job,” Barrett explained. “Our first two pours were for the runway ramps to roll the skywalk out on.” Without the onsite mixer, the job would be impossible, he said. “The alternative would be moving concrete 200 miles over some rough, slow-moving road conditions,” he continued. “It wouldn’t work.” Along with the ramps, Barrett and his crew poured sidewalks and pathways connecting to the Skywalk.

CEO John Brandt of the Des Moines, Iowa, Global Mixers was pleased with the outcome. “In terms of the Grand Canyon project, we thought the project was a perfect example of the versatility of our mixer,” he said. “One 8-yard mixer adequately provided all the concrete for this large project-which highlights the mixer’s efficiency, as well as the quality of the concrete produced.”

“We believed the quality of the concrete poured is the best in the concrete industry because of our modern technology and modular design. We also felt the remoteness of this job illustrated how a small investment can yield a large return.”

Skywalk: A Closer Look

The U-shaped bridge was rolled onto the edge of the canyon on March 7, 2007, after passing several days of testing to replicate weather, strength and endurance conditions of its final destination. More than 1 million pounds of steel went into the project’s construction.

The Skywalk’s constitutional structure is impressive. It can withstand the weight of 71 fully loaded Boeing 747 airplanes (more then 71 million pounds). The bridge can sustain winds in excess of 100 miles per hour from eight different directions, as well as an 8.0 magnitude earthquake within 50 miles.

The Skywalk protrudes 65 feet beyond the canyon’s edge. The walls and floor are built from glass 4 inches thick. The Skywalk is capable of holding 800 people weighing 175 pounds each, although the permitted capacity is 120 persons. Visitors are provided with shoe covers to protect them from slipping or scratching the glass floor.

Barrett said walking on the structure is something to behold – and not for those who fear heights. “It’s pretty neat, you’re at the edge of the canyon and can look in all directions… It’s a long ways down. I recommend the experience.”

While Orbit has completed other remote pours-including a remote mountaintop radar station - Skywalk’s success and media exposure have netted greater interest and call volume. Barrett added, “Business is definitely picking up.”