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Welcome to our East Civic Tower Project update page! Your source for the most up-to-date construction information on the City's new East Civic Tower. When completed, the new tower will enable us to serve our customers better and provide a collaborative, dynamic workplace for City employees.
Stay in the loop, visit this page often!
April 24, 2024
Back Exit Pedestrian Detour
You cannot exit to Hargett Street from the back Exit Only door of the Raleigh Municipal Building. There is a protected walkway from the Exit Only door to the parking deck stairs, but the direct access to Hargett Street is closed while underground utility work is completed. The work is expected to take about two to three weeks. Once the work is done, the protected pedestrian facilities to Hargett Street will be restored. If you exit the back door, head left and follow the arrows to the back parking deck stairs. From there, you can access the parking deck entrance to the building or the sidewalk along Dawson Street.
April 3, 2024
The walls are down!
This week, the crews removed the last basement wall. So, what’s next? Shoring and deep foundation work. This work is very loud! Crews will be driving steel into the ground, and you will hear the noise of steel on steel being pounded into the ground, and you may feel the vibrations of this work. You will hear and feel this work if you are a Raleigh Employee and work on the east side of the Raleigh Municipal Building. The noise may also affect people who work in the Professional Building.
Power Outage, Monday, April 8.
At noon on Monday, April 8, Duke Energy will cut power to the Raleigh Municipal Building. The generator will provide the building with power. However, the parking deck will be without power while this work is completed. We expect the process to take about three to four hours. While the power is out to the parking deck, the gates will be open. We requested this work be completed during daylight hours when lighting is not an issue.
McDowell Street Closed April 12-15.
Starting at 7p.m. on April 12, the construction contractor will close a section of McDowell Street and Hargett Street. Hargett Street will be closed to through traffic between Dawson Street and McDowell Street, and McDowell Street will be closed between Morgan Street and Hargett Street. The street closure will last throughout the weekend, with the streets scheduled to reopen to traffic early on April 15.
Due to the amount of work that needs to be completed during this street closure, the team will work around the clock over the weekend. The construction noise associated with this part of the project will be from construction equipment and digging.
Work associated with the street closure includes relocating water and sanitary sewer lines.
The dates of this work are subject to change based on weather.
March 26, 2024
Sidewalk Closed
Crews closed the sidewalk on the west side of McDowell Street between Hargett Street and Morgan Street on Monday, March 25, 2024. The closure includes the crosswalk on the west side of McDowell Street at Hargett Street. The crosswalk section of the sidewalk will reopen to the public once Duke Energy has completed its work. The remainder of the sidewalk will remain closed most of the time the new Civic Tower is under construction.
Don't forget, anyone using the Municipal Building parking lot and then walking east must cross at the McDowell Street crosswalk.
March 20, 2024
McDowell Street Sidewalk
The contractor must close the McDowell Street sidewalk starting Monday, March 25, and it will remain closed for much of the construction process. This is necessary for Duke Energy to complete a power line relocation and other construction-related tasks. The sidewalk will be closed between Morgan and Hargett Street. Anyone using the Municipal Building parking lot and then walking east must cross at the McDowell Street crosswalk. The sidewalk closure will remain in effect through most of the project.
It’s a pit
The deconstruction phase is almost done. The demo crew is breaking up the last parts of the basement. This work is noisy and dusty, because the concrete is broken off the remaining steel supports. It looks like we have one more week of this work before we start the next phase.
What to expect next
Once the deconstruction is completed, the contractor will switch gears and start the shoring and deep foundation work. This work includes driving steel into the ground, and you will hear the noise of steel on steel being pounded into the ground. This work is very loud. If you are a Raleigh Employee and work on the east side of the Raleigh Municipal Building, you will hear this work. The noise may also affect people who work in the Professional Building.
We understand that construction noise can be disruptive, and we thank you for your patience as our contractors work to build our new Civic Tower.
March 13, 2024
Basement demolition begins.
This requires breaking up a large amount of concrete for disposal. This work can be noisy and those near the site may feel vibrations. The demolition of the basement is expected to take 10 days.
March 5, 2024
Site cleanup continues.
The piles of rubble are getting smaller every day, and today, we can see the basement. A steady stream of trucks removes the debris as the crew continues sifting through the rubble. They are also working on removing the last of the visible steel girders. Next up, digging out the basement.
Planned power outage.
There will be a planned power outage at RMB and the Parking deck on March 11 starting at 7 p.m. The power outage is due to work underway at the new Civic Tower site.
