St.Louis Gateway Arch To Undergo Structural Study For Corrosion

September 22nd, 2010 - 7:15 pm ICT by GD  

By Meena Kar
gatewayarchSt.Louis, Sep 22, (THAINDIAN NEWS) The National Park Service has awarded a contract for the structural study of the St.Louis Gateway Arch to the engineering firm named Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates. The news of the study of the 630 foot tall structure follows the recent news reports of corrosion in the 45 year old monument. However, officials have reportedly maintained that the study was planned prior to the surfacing of the reports.

Though no safety concerns were cited in the earlier reports there was a speculation that the expenses on the maintenance of arch could increase in the days to come. A spokesperson for the National Park Service said that they will take any step needed to protect their national treasure. He also said that the officials are not sure about what is causing the stains and the corrosion. He said that there was also such stains on the Statue of Liberty and it could also be a result of certain chemicals in the atmosphere. The same spokesperson had earlier stated along side Eero Saarinen, the engineer of the arch, that the arch was built to last for 1000 years.

Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates have also undertaken studies of other complex structures like the Aloha Stadium in Honolulu. The firm will begin the study in November and it is expected to take at least one year to completely diagnose the Gateway Arch in St.Louis. The cost of the structural study is reportedly $150,000. One of the officials said that since the arch did not come with an owner’ manual, all the experts and engineers are being brought in to recognize, classify and then solve the problem.

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