by Staff Sgt. Marcia Triggs
WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Sept. 15, 2001) -- The number of casualties at the Pentagon could've been higher after the "attack on America." But structural changes made in a newly renovated area, where the jetliner crashed, provided protection.
The structural changes made to the renovated area were steel beams that ran through all five floors of the Pentagon, said Lee Evey, Pentagon renovation program manager. The beams strengthened the walls around the newly installed blast resistant windows, he said.
Then there was the Kevlar-like cloth, made up of the same material as bulletproof vests, which prevented debris from becoming shrapnel, Evey added.
"This was a terrible tragedy, ... but if we had not undergone the effort to make these changes, the outcome could've been a lot worse," Evey said.
About 14 structural changes are being made to the Pentagon to increase safety for its military workforce. One change that has already been completed is building a remote delivery facility to prevent delivery trucks from backing up to the Pentagon's front door.
The metro bus and train service entrance is also in the process of being moved farther away from the Pentagon. Evey said his office was criticized when they suggested the move.
A contract for $758 million was issued to complete the renovation project in the Pentagon, Evey said. The contract also includes repairs to areas with water and smoke damage, that occurred when flames from the crash continuously burned through the night and into the morning, he said.
However, the contract does not include the cost to repair the wing that collapsed after the attack and inflation hikes, he said.
The 11-year renovation contract will cover 4 million square feet of building space, and the improvements will keep the Pentagon operational for the next 50 years, Evey said. A date was not given when the contractors would start the project, but Evey said work should begin within the next few weeks.
The monetary amount of damage to the collapsed wing is unknown. Evey said he has not been able to review the area because of ongoing recovery efforts.
Rescue teams are working in corridors four and five, and rings E, D and the inner part of C, where the nose of jetliner landed. The Pentagon is made up of five floors, 10 corridors and rings A through E.
The renovation project in the area that was hit by the jetliner was just days away from completion, and 5,000 employees had already begun occupying office space. However, most of the offices were empty.
Once the rebuilding of the Pentagon resumes there will be a shortage of space, and personnel will be moved to offices in Virginia counties on the outskirts of the Pentagon, Evey said.
About 1 million square feet of office space was being leased already to accommodate personnel during the first phase of the renovation project, Evey said. Since the attack 800,000 more square feet has been leased, and additional space could be acquired if they needed it, he added.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
