Playing in the mud

I was driving into Chico the other morning, early, when I glanced over at the new bridge under construction on Highway 32. They were getting ready to pour concrete on the deck and I was suddenly reminded of the many times that I was on a similar deck, though much higher in the air, and working fast to stay ahead of the “mud”.  

No, I never worked on a bridge, but I knew exactly what each person in that crew was doing. On a highway bridge or on a deck 30 stories in the air, the process is the same. I guess I will always be sentimental about that part of my career in construction. When I was working with my tools on, I was excited about each day at work. There was a very real danger in what we did and just sensing that made every day special. (I guess you had to be there…)

Memory: We were late in getting our hanger wires in place for the 3rd floor ceilings on the Broadway store project in San Bernardino. The pour was scheduled for 7 in the morning and so that meant we had to be up on the deck and working by 4 AM. We had to layout the location for the wire drop by measuring from the tops of each column, barely visible through the rebar maze that covered the deck. After the layout was complete and double checked, we had to punch holes in the steel deck in a 3’ x 4’ pattern. We would then thread 12’ lengths of #8 wire down through the holes and tie off the ends on a piece of rebar. We only had moonlight to work under and it was eerie, walking on top of the rebar, looking for the holes to drop a wire into. Somewhere across the deck, in the dark, you could hear the “bang!” as the deck punch was driven down into the steel. Don’t trip! Especially near the edge…

By 6:30 we could hear the concrete pump being setup below and then the concrete crew was up on the deck with us as they laid their “slick line” across the rebar. And sure enough, at 7 AM sharp, the pump would roar into life and concrete would come pulsing up the line and out onto the deck. Now we had to hurry to stay ahead of the pour, sometimes just a few feet away from us.

By 7:30 we were through and headed down the ladder, eager for a break. Above us, we could hear the scrape and rattle as they lifted the mesh and vibrated the “mud” into place. I loved it!