CHARLESTON, W.Va. — There was a brief round of applause Friday morning in the House of Delegates Finance Committee when state Division of General Services Director Greg Melton told lawmakers the work on the capitol dome was about 50 percent completed.
“We are about halfway there,” Melton said. “We awarded (the bid) in October of 2018 and we are scheduled to wrap up in spring 2021.”
The dome work started in January 2018 under the original contractor, Wiseman Construction, after the discovery of structural issues largely due to water damage. Pullman Power took over in October 2018.
State officials said pipes designed to collect water from the outer dome had deteriorated which caused damage to the interior of the Capitol Rotunda in visible and not visible ways creating safety hazards.
Additionally, officials determined a cabling system which allowed the outer dome to hold up the inner dome with tension had weakened and needed replaced.
The outside of the dome is covered with a white material to protect the workers and exposed areas of the building.
MORE See more dome photos here
Crews late last year finished putting back into place 23-hundred pound limestone blocks after they were removed and cleaned.
“We have ended the tearing out phase and we have started and are well along in some parts, the put-it-back phase,” Melton said Friday.
The project has a great impact on the legislative session because it cuts off the direct path in the Upper Rotunda between the House of Delegates and state Senate. Those in the capitol have to go up or down to different levels to travel between the two chambers.
Melton said the dome project has been the most interesting and challenging project he’s been associated with in his construction career.
“We opened up some parts of the building that haven’t been seen since 1932,” Melton told lawmakers Friday.
The project, which is projected to cost around $14.5 million will likely impact the January 2021 gubernatorial inauguration. Plans are currently to conduct the inauguration on the north side of the capitol.