It was far from a typical quiet Saturday night in Loma Linda on March 25.
At 10 p.m., a complicated choreography began as concrete trucks, one after another after another, poured their loads for the foundation of the future hospital complex at Loma Linda University Health.
The all-night process took 10 and a half hours, during which 85 trucks delivered 540 concrete loads to the site, traveling back and forth from Robertson’s Ready Mix to Loma Linda until the job was done.
By Sunday morning, 5,400 cubic yards of concrete were in place, completing the first third of the foundation. Two more “Big Pours” will soon finish the four-foot-thick slab.
On site to witness the milestone was Eric Schilt, assistant vice president of construction for Loma Linda University Medical Center.
“Overall, the pour was very successful. There is a tremendous amount of coordination that goes into a pour of this size, and the project team did an excellent job planning and executing it,” Schilt said.
“Also of critical significance was the fact that there were no unplanned disruptions to hospital operations. On behalf of our team, I say thank you to our staff, patients and visitors for putting up with our noise!”
Schilt and numerous, numerous others from Loma Linda University Health and JTec Healthcare Construction Management have planned for years to reach this highpoint.
“A pour such as this is one is a rare opportunity to see significant progress in a single long shift,” Schilt said. “With a project this big and this long it can be difficult to see measurable progress on a daily basis. The pour was fun to watch.”
Construction progress can be followed on three webcams. Additionally, interested individuals can visit the second floor corridor between the Medical Center and Children’s Hospital for a good vantage point through the large windows.
Those doing so may just find Medial Center CEO Kerry Heinrich taking in the view as well.
“Look carefully at the glass,” he recently said. “You’ll see my nose print there because I try to go up there as often as I can. I love watching the progress of our campus transformation and our new hospital towers.
“They will allow us to meet the needs of our growing community for many decades to come, offering a state-of-the-art facility for us to practice our special brand of whole person care,” Heinrich said.
The towers will meet California’s stringent seismic building requirements for hospitals.
Support for the hospital construction effort is a significant component of Vision 2020: The Campaign for a Whole Tomorrow, a $360 million comprehensive fundraising initiative to support priorities in clinical care, education, research and
wholeness. Vision 2020 is the largest philanthropic campaign in the history of Loma Linda University Health and also represents the largest investment in health care and education in the Inland Empire.