Work starts on Weymouth observation tower (From Dorset Echo)
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Work starts on Weymouth observation tower
10:03am Wednesday 2nd November 2011 in Local News
The observation tower being built in a German factory.
These are the first pictures of Weymouth's new observation tower taking shape.
It is being constructed and shipped to the UK in sections by German company Huss, based in Bremen.
The tower’s total weight will be 130 metric tons.
The observation pod, with its floor-to-ceiling polycarbonate windows, can carry 70 passengers at a time, revolving around a 2.5 metre diameter central steel column.
Meanwhile, contractors began preparing the groundworks for the new Weymouth Tower this week.
Concrete piles are being sunk to a depth of 17 metres on Weymouth Pier to provide a circular watertight curtain for the main excavation works.
An official groundbreaking ceremony will be hosted in January when a huge mechanical digger begins the seven-metre deep hole for the tower’s foundations.
The new £3.5 million visitor attraction from Weymouth Sea Life Park owners Merlin Entertainments Group is set to open next summer.
See Thursday’s Echo for the full story.
