With summer approaching, renovation work at the Missouri state Capitol should not impact planned local festivities, according to the state's Office of Administration.
The renovation of the Capitol is about 88 percent complete overall, OA spokesman Chris Moreland said Tuesday. But, he added, some specific aspects of the renovation are even more complete.
All the replacement and repair work on stone balustrades is complete, as of Monday, Moreland shared. A balustrade is an ornamental railing of a stairway, supported by balusters - small stone posts.
Other aspects of the more than $28 million project to restore much of the Capitol's exterior stone work were also in the high 90s, with 96 percent of cleaning being done, and 98 percent of the application of sealant having been done. Grind and point work - which refers to mortar - was 99 percent complete.
The renovation involves a total of 308,752 linear feet of grind and point - that's more than 58 miles - as well as 2,285 tons of stone, almost six football fields' worth of area to clean and 75,000 linear feet of sealant, or more than 14 miles.
The renovation began in March 2018. The bond funding for the project was appropriated in 2014, with the first bond sale approved in 2015.
The work is intended to extend the life of the building and improve its appearance, structural stability and ability to shed water, according to the Missouri State Capitol Commission's website on the project - capitol.mo.gov/construction.
"What remains is some more work on the north and south side. Then, this summer, (workers) will plan to shift the work to restore the ground, sidewalks and the street on the south side," Moreland said.
Chicago-based Bulley & Andrews Masonry Restoration LLC is the main contractor on the Capitol renovation project.
Jefferson City's Salute to America Fourth of July event is set to go on, with adjustments, during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Moreland said construction should not affect the festivities, "especially with the north plaza work completed," though the south steps will remain closed off and not available for the Fourth.
Moreland said there have been no delays or cost increases to the project because of the pandemic: "We encountered some delivery and logistics delays at times, but none of that had any effect on the cost or the schedule."
The plan is to have the renovation substantially completed by December, so gubernatorial inaugural proceedings can take place in January 2021 on the south lawn.