Construction Progressing at the Quarry Visitor Center and Quarry Exhibit Hall in Dinosaur National Monument

"The project to rehabilitate the Quarry Exhibit Hall and construct a new visitor center in Dinosaur National Monument is proceeding as scheduled," stated Superintendent Mary Risser. "Advanced Solution Group (ASG) out of Kaysville, Utah, and their primary subcontractor, Big-D, have begun the demolition of the old Lower Visitor Center where visitors would catch the shuttle to the Quarry and begun preparations to work on the condemned visitor center."

Demolition of the old Lower Visitor Center is almost complete. Because the new visitor center is designed to a silver/gold Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design (LEED) certification, as much of the building material as possible will be reused. Exterior stonework has been salvaged and will be used in the new building. The mechanical and electrical demolition is complete, and the contractor is separating the debris to determine what can be reused, recycled, or disposed of. Site preparation to pour the foundation for the new visitor center will begin the week of April 26th.

"Work on the condemned Quarry Visitor Center is proceeding simultaneously, but before any major demolition begins, the safety of the fossil wall must be ensured. The Quarry Visitor Center served as a prototype for showcasing fossils at other locations throughout the world," stated paleontologist Dan Chure. "This is the first time that a building that protected fossils will be demolished over those fossils. So the project is of great interest to the scientific community."

The new fossil protection cover will involve a system with a rope grid a few feet above the fossil wall and a black composite mesh placed on top of the rope grid. This system will be suspended from scaffolding that will be installed in front and on the sides of the fossil wall. The scaffolding will be covered by plywood to create a flat face in front of the fossil wall and a flat decking system over the fossil wall. The decking will have a fire blanket and plastic and foam layers. The sides on the east and west ends of the fossil wall will also be enclosed by plywood, and the plywood on the sides and front of the fossil wall will be covered with a mesh fabric. The installation of the protective system is expected to take about 30 days.

A temporary visitor center just outside the park boundary about 4 miles north of Jensen, Utah, on route 149 will serve visitors until the new facilities are open. Access to the Fossil Discovery Trail where visitors can see dinosaur fossils in the rock along the trail will be only by shuttle, because access to the requires driving through the construction zone. A free shuttle provides transportation from the temporary visitor center, located just outside the park boundary, to and from the trailhead. The shuttle will be available during the morning hours four days a week in the spring and fall beginning April 10. During the summer, the shuttle will be available daily during the morning hours. Access to the Fossil Discovery Trail by means other than the shuttle is not permitted.

The Quarry Visitor Center project is one of nearly 800 projects totaling $750 million across the country that have been funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).

--NPS--

Mary Risser / Superintendent
Dinosaur National Monument
4545 Highway 40
Dinosaur, Colorado 81610
970.374.3001

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