As impressive as these inspection folks are, I have to give supreme kudos to the folks that built this structure 57 years ago. The technology and safety measures that they utilized were not what they are today... amazing stuff.
@Rob Mikels OSHA...which was implemented in 1971, has improved not only the safety standards but helped to reduce onsite fatalities. It used to be that when there were major construction projects, there were also fatality estimates. Now, if you had read my post, you would have seen two things. Technology and safety. With OSHA, onsite safety was not a choice but a mandate instituted by the law, secondly, to say that building technology hasn't vastly improved in 60 years, which increases safety and efficiency, only shows that you have no idea what you're talking about.
@@NolanSanchez you are talking like harnesses and people to make sure you dont just blow off a600+ ft object didnt exist until 1971. we read your post but you dont know what your talking about lmao
@@raw1465 RU-vid Trolls...instead of adding any real value to the conversation, you put in your two cents, just to be confrontational. Back in the day, kids like you would just get slapped and the lesson would be learned. Again, safety and technological advancements have made what these folks do, a much safer endeavor.
@@phillhuddleston9445 no doubt the way our neighborhoods work in STL it's like good neighborhood for a few blocks then bam your in the hood..then go a few more blocks and its decent again..
When I was in high school in St. Louis ... my best friend's father was a professional photographer. He was hired by the local utility company's ad agency to go out on top of the arch (there is a hatch at the top) and film one of their techs changing the lightbulb at the very top of the arch. Yes ... there really is a bulb at the top. The photo was used in a print ad with a headline that said something like, 'We Go to Great Heights to Get You the Power You Need'. It was a pretty cool ad. My buddy's dad was a fairly laid back guy & told me that going forward ... he preferred to work on the ground.
We St. Louisans take the Arch for granted. We see it so often that it doesn't even really cross our minds. But in reality, it is a true masterpiece of architecture and design.
Having touched this magnificent structure myself, it is difficult to imagine exactly how those sides of the arch would be cleaned in a practical, safe manner. It's one of the rare large scale shapes I've encountered that is a bit disorienting to look up at, standing underneath it. I suspect that effect is magnified up there on it, looking down.
I've been up about 250 feet in a crane basket and people look like gnats, cars look like ants and the boom of the crane looks about a half an inch wide.
The Arch is about 3 miles from my house. I love seeing it on a daily basis, it means home to me, lol. I’ve been up in it a few times, even tho I’m afraid of heights. They did a massive renovation of the museum underneath it a couple of years ago. The Arch itself was closed for a while for reno as well. This was really interesting.
What year was the museum renovations. Just wondering because. I went their years ago as a kid and saw th museum it was coolest museum I ever saw I was wondering if the one I saw was before or after renovation.
Wonder where they got rope strong enough to hold Dave and is massive balls up there? And notice how when they interviewed him they only showed him from waist up.
I have Aeroacrophobia. There is no way I could do that. My legs trip out and go wobbly just watching this stuff. And to think about all the work I performed on lifts, laders and scaffolding before I developed this super fun phobia.
I don't consider myself scared of heights but damn sure was anxious going up to the top of the Arch. The little pod "elevators" were freaky enough but couldn't get over the curve up there and how you could lean into the windows (so I recall) and look almost straight down. Epic engineering!
I drove from California to Illinois last June to move, it was exhausting but I'll never forget the feeling of excitement I received when I first saw that arch... goosebumps.
You should see me riding virtual reality roller coasters at my daughter's house on their Playstation. Its like actually doing it and wow it gets my heart going.
I'm from Chicago and just a few months ago I visited St. Louis for the first time, with special interest in visiting the Gateway Arch. I tend to always think about things technically, so it's funny how when I was there I was thinking about "How do they clean this thing?" and trying to point out all the difficult access points during my tour while up in the arch and from what I could see on the ground... then I stumble across this video.
My father and my sister we’re delivering a part to the arch when it was being built and they were asked if they want to walk to the top of it which they did. One of the ery first people that were not working there to go to the top of the Arch pretty cool.
Seems like a good candidate for a specialized kind of roomba type robot held in place with a clamp mechanism. Powered via wire and hose fed a cleaning solution it could dedicate off peak visiting times with proper temperature humidity and wind conditions as cleaning time so as to not to displace the visiting public
Pretty much. Plenty of mechanized machines are utilized in the field for inspection and cleaning and maintenance of perilously high or difficult structures/machines.
I was thinking something similar, a powerful drone style design though, the weight of the hose/water probably makes what you’re describing more feasible as the drone would need to be powerful.
@@gaming_sportsaaron1365 no one died during construction, however they prepared/had funds set aside for 13 men in case of any accidents. Fortunately it was not needed.
I live in st Louis and I've been up in the arch a number of times. From experience, I'll tell you I'd much rather take that outside climb over the little tube they pack everyone inside of as it slowly creeks its way up to the top and back down. I swear I never think I'm gonna make it when I'm in that thing
Yep, the hard part was building an arch that tall, connecting the two legs with center pieces was a huge challenge but they did it. The sad part is today things are so over priced and there is so much government red tape that cleaning it would probably cost about as much as building it back then and may actually take longer to do especially with getting all the permits ;(
Live about 25 miles from the Arch and took my granddaughter in it 24 months ago. They complained about rust streaks. Basically when constructed they ground the stainless with grinder wheels contaminated with carbon steel. But took 50 yrs to notice any rust streak 630 ft up.
I was a boilermaker (retired) and we worked with stainless a lot. You are correct, those polishing wheels were contaminated with mild steel. Also, the temporary strut between the 2 legs during construction were also carbon steel attached to the stainless plates.
Was a Boiler L27 from 1988 to 2000 for Nooter Boiler walking distance south of the Arch. Worked on many alloys in my 13yrs many times no steel contact. They closed shop in 2001 moved overseas. Currently SMWs L36 2000 to present preparing for retirement.
A lightweight wheeled "car wash" cage that rolls up and over on temporarily installed tracks. Motorized rollers to spray wash, scrub, and polish. Pretty much a robotic carwash.
Tracks are unnecessary, think dolly’s used to move oil rigs and gargantuan buildings. Make like you say a cage like structure that can clamp around and drive itself up to the top. Split into two so as both descend the clean. Once at the bottom you can remove all wheels marks. 👍
I have gone up to the top and its scary enough, the ride in that dryer drum was crazy but to know its structurally sound might give me the courage to take the grandkids up for a view now!
OMG, I'm dizzy n f***** up just watching this. I could never do this. I'll never understand how someone has the balls to do something like this. I mean, I'm thankful, but damn... these kind of people should be making a hell of a lot more money just because they've got the balls to do this shit. hahaha
We went to the top of this beautiful structure in June this year, I hate Elevators so I had an anxiety attack there, but it was wonderful when we finally got up there
Seems quite plausible... why not have the wheels what drives the rig up? Like dolly’s you would use to move a building.. but sat sideways and put together in such a way as you clamp around the arch and drive up, polishing as you descend so that when you reach the bottom you can clean all wheels marks off.
The triangle cross-section of the arch isn’t the same size all the way up, it’s much thinner at the top than the base. Unless the rig can expand and contract in size that’s not gonna happen
If you’re claustrophobic and or afraid of heights, this ain’t the place for you. As you look out the observation windows at the top you can feel it sway (which is engineered in to the structure) It nearly put me in a fetal position crying for my mother.
Being born in St. Louis in 1959, then watching them build it when I was a young kid, was something special. As we all know it’s a unique monument. I went up into the Arch a few times with my father. Grandparents. Really cool.
I just watched the one of them building it, with the 2 spans coming up unsupported to 500 feet, within 1/4" when they met? With a crane system riding up the back gradually, amazing engineering.
This seems like a very easy job. You can hire any high rise window cleaning crew come in and probably have it cleaned within a month depending on weather. Job done!
Not at all, It would cost millions and probably take 6-12 months through multiple years due to the nature of stainless steel and particulate stain build up, and as you mentioned weather. Though I'd say a ton of that cost and time is probably to design, build, and plan a better harness system unique to the structure, as it was never designed for getting people under it.
Easiest way to clean it is a one off magnetic scrubbing machine or machines. Clear out the area below and have the super magnet machine climb around the inside while it’s scratch resistant bristle’s clean the underside. It would probably need safety cables or have some sort of multipart breakaway design and could even be transported to other large buildings or structures that need a wash (in other parts of the world)
I love my city and The Arch! I love climbing too! I wish I could do this job! Every time they clean and the guys go up there I get so freaking jealous!
Take this into consideration the arch is 300 ft taller than the statue of liberty that's why it is literally the tallest monument in the united states almost 100 feet taller than the washington monument
Interesting fact about the arch. The husband of my great aunt was a foreman on the arch. After they were done and getting ready for the grand opening which would have Miss St.Louis as the first female to go up in the arch--noooot A few nights before the arch opening my uncle and the crew took his daughter my 3rd cuz up in the arch. So unofficially my cuz was the first female up there-She still lives in St. Louis
Fuck off, you only think STL is a shit hole cause of mainstream media, there is actually a lot of history and many nice places visit, I live in a really nice side of the city
Yeah, no. St. Louis feels no more dangerous than any other city, and I lived in NYC for a good chunk of my life, too. I've never felt unsafe walking through any part of it at any time of day. It's just like any other city: a little common sense goes a long way. A lot of the crime is Chicago gang related anyway, and most of it happens in the Metro East or in North City so just avoid those areas if you're really worried about crime. With St. Louis, the perception is far worse than the reality.
It really speaks alot to the culture and potential of certain civilizations. I remember being in Africa and seeing mud huts and clay bowls. 'Technology' from the stone age of man. Then seeing the Notre Dam in France built centuries ago(sadly burned down by the former)
There is a Lazer that is made for removing rust and scale from metals. In time maybe someone can figure out an unmanned machine that could fix itself to the arch and move as Lazer works. Some Stainless seals are magnetic, and if the alloy used in the arch is, perhaps a method other than suction cups for it to cling to the structure.
The Liebherr 11200 boom crane (the worlds largest) can reach 550 feet at it's maximum height, and the bridge is 630 feet tall. It seems to me like a strong power washing device could be made with a lot of engineering work so nobody to hand wash. Or a chemical spray that could knock the dirt loose - easier said than done tho lol.
I spent 20 years as a Rescue from Heights Instructor teaching people how to Rescue Others who were trapped at Height and could not self extract themselves.
I don't recall bulbs mentioned. The surface was the topic. The surface isn't damaged. It's dirty. To clean it I recommend hundreds rumbas matrixed together with rubber bands to circumscribe the 3 surfaces and reprogrammed to spend all their battery life going up in a straight line once and rapelling down while polishing till they are exhausted. Recharge and repeat until its so shiny it blinds aircraft pilots. Oh wait, that just puts us back where we started.
LOLLLL, my knees were nearly shaking just seeing the guys on the top. As much as I'd like to be up there, I know if could never happen. My hat is off to them.
No, they actually just put it on hold, though not officially. After it was determined to be no threat to structural integrity the concern was greatly diminished.
My father had a part in building the arch and he told me that they did not expect the stainless steel sheets to ripple like they did, such as that <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="264">4:24</a>.
I’m a retired Union Ironworker and a former military rappelling instructor. I would go back to work with these guys. I was also a smokestack inspector and climbed 1,000 foot to get to work.
Damn, that sounds interesting. The only rappelling I did (if even called that) was dropping down straight from a 100 foot old mining railroad trestle. The worst was traversing the bare frame left to the drop point. Do you know of the Anaconda Stack? (585 feet; one of tallest freestanding brick structures in the world) Gd, it looks like CGI. On research I found a story how they used to cap it and hold formal balls up there. During one of these, an Ananconda Company fireman climbed the entire length of an insane ladder affixed to the outside and popped over the edge to great fanfare and a few faints. Spoilsports won't let me try, thank God. Nod to your ironworker and instructor skills sa the rest of the world learns nothing but tapping phone buttons. (Insert twice as much on ironworkers).
I work with someone who used to wash windows on high rise buildings and I'm an arborist myself. I think it's cleanable, but it would be a job and a half. Probably attach via two ropes, coming over each side of the structure, then go up and down those ropes to change your position. The biggest issue would probably be finding the manpower. There aren't that many people with the technical rope access chops, gear and time to do such a massive project.
Anyone else get the impression that the first line in the requirements section for the Gateway Arch Cleaner job listing is: "Must have nerves of steel"
