On Tuesday, August 3, when most downtown workers had left to head home, the Music City Center’s concrete crew were preparing for the biggest pour of the three-year project.

It’s no mean feat to pour 1,000 cubic yards of concrete – an average pour may be a couple of hundred cubic yards – especially in 100 degree weather, which taxes workers and affects the way concrete cures.

The job was part of the temporary relocation of the truck access tunnel to the Bridgestone Arena, which opened from 5th Avenue in late August. (Eventually, trucks will access the arena from 6th Avenue, which will be routed underneath the Music City Center.)

The seven-hour pour required  extensive communication and  intricate scheduling between project managers for the Music City Center, construction manager Bell/Clark, and Metro Ready Mix, the project’s local concrete supplier.

Metro Ready Mix used 15 trucks moving continuously between its 2nd Avenue plant and the downtown Nashville construction site. At any given time during the pour, trucks were queued up along the 5th Avenue side of the job site and down 6th Avenue, awaiting turns to hook to the two concrete pumpers, supplied by Concrete Pump Partners, of Nashville.

Concrete requires a certain temperature range to cure to the appropriate strength. To ensure the concrete began at the right temperature, Metro Ready Mix mixed almost one ton of ice from Reddy Ice, into the concrete instead of water.

Scheduling the pour for nighttime hours also helped, as did crews continually hosing down the freshly poured concrete for immediate cooling action.

I have worked with the operator in the picture for about 7 years when i lived in Nashville,TN. His name is Ronnie Tipton. That is the picture from southeastern construction magazine cover. super good operator.

thanks todd for posting this picture. your website is awsome,ronnie.