Another milestone is approaching for the new City Hall and parking structure under construction in downtown Whitefish. The first of the elevated parking decks is scheduled to be placed the week after Labor Day.

Crews with Martel Construction have been working for the past few weeks receiving and assembling a specially engineered forming system designed to support the deck during the placement of concrete and throughout the curing process. This week subcontractor crews are installing rebar and the electrical and communications conduits that will be encased within the deck slabs. The final step, prior to concrete, will be the layout of the post tensioning cables criss-crossing the deck.

Once all embedded items are in place, a special inspection will be performed to assure that all elements are properly positioned and installed prior the placement of concrete, according to project manager Mike Cronquist.

It will take six to eight hours to place the nearly 300 cubic yards of concrete planned for the first ramp. First Street will be closed at night, starting at 10 p.m., and continuing until finished. First Street will then be reopened to one-way traffic.

After the first deck has been poured, the framing system will be repositioned for the second section of the ramps, and the process of preparing for concrete will begin again.

In all, there is a total of four deck sections – each section taking about four weeks to complete. It is expected that the final pour will be made around the second week in November.