The 2002 Olympic Winter Games will be held this month in Salt Lake City, and the Olympic spirit will be evident nationwide as many use the Games for hope and encouragement during troubled times. But those who view the Olympics, whether at home or in person, may not give much thought to the preparation and hard work it took to make it happen.
Salt Lake City officials and several construction companies began planning and building venues years before they knew their city would be hosting the games. Since the Games were awarded to Salt Lake in 1995, countless products have been delivered, and additional venues and housing have been built. Truckers have shown their Olympic spirit by doing their jobs, delivering machinery and materials with their trucks.
Hauling for an Olympic Stadium
Jason Bryan has driven for CWX of Salt Lake City for six years. Bryan delivered the first pallet of Olympic pins to the Salt Lake Organizing Committee. “That was pretty sweet,” he says.
CWX uses 24-foot trailers to maneuver around downtown Salt Lake City. Bryan has delivered guardrails, housing items, indoor lighting fixtures, cable, warehouse products and wire. The guardrails weighed 8,000 pounds, and their pallets were 10 feet long and 4 feet tall. Bryan began making the deliveries four years ago, and is anxious to see the Olympic Games unfold.
“It’s exciting,” he says. “If these products weren’t delivered, then they wouldn’t be able to build the venues for the Olympics.”
Layton Construction in Salt Lake City rebuilt Rice-Eccles Stadium, which will be used for the opening and closing ceremonies, and also built the speed skating oval.
The original Rice-Eccles Stadium was built in 1926 and used by the University of Utah to host its football games. Layton was hired by the university to rebuild the stadium, and the Salt Lake Organizing Committee will pay the university to use the stadium for 14 days.
