Exacting engineering and a tight time schedule make the $5-million construction program at Disneyland Park in Southern California anything but childs play for the general contractor, James I. Barnes Co., of Anaheim, Calif.
The work requires the most careful construction administration.
Moving at a fast pace for a June 1 opening are these construction highlights:
- A monorail system where concrete girders — some curved in both horizontal and vertical directions — are cast and set to close tolerances to provide smooth riding qualities for the rubber-tired cars that will straddle the girders.
- A 150-ft-high structural steel frame that supports a scale replica of the Matterhorn (ENR Feb, 26, p, 24). Simulated bobsled runs course down and through the mountain and a cable-supported skyride pierces it.
- An underground cavern formed by massive concrete rigid frame construction to house a submarine ride. The rigid frame is designed for 600 psf live load. It spans 70 ft with a single row of columns slightly offset from the centerline.
The program is guided by Walt Disney, who personally directs the team of architects and artists in his organization, WED Enterprises.
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