Interesting News on Main St....

[SeaWolf38]

Yesterday, while talking to a semi-high up cast member friend of mine (not mentioning names or positions), he told me that the next big refurb job is to completely refurb Main St. just after the holiday season is over. Essentially, the entire street is going to get TLC, and lots of walls and tarps.

He even told me that the marching bands that are supposed to parade down Main St. (and possibly even the parades themselves) will be diverted to DCA while the refurb goes on. He's not sure if the actual Disneyland Parades will go to DCA, but marching bands surely will. Very interesting.....

[Walt Jr.]

By street, I think he means the actual pavement because there is a pavement project which is starting in January on the entire street. That's why there won't be any parades or marching bands. The actual buildings are in perfect condition. But I highly doubt what your friend is talking about has to do with anything other then the pavement.

[Luke Manning]

I doubt that the parade would be diverted to DCA. It would be way too complicated to move it over. POD's currently planned return date is February 13th, 2009.

[SeaWolf38]

By street, I think he means the actual pavement because there is a pavement project which is starting in January on the entire street. That's why there won't be any parades or marching bands. The actual buildings are in perfect condition. But I highly doubt what your friend is talking about has to do with anything other then the pavement.

Haha yea, it might be the pavement...... maybe I misunderstood him.

[Abominable Snowman]

You should keep up with Al's articles!

[mycroft16]

Yeah, they even did a test pavement stretch down by City Hall a few weeks ago. But yes, the pavement desperately needs to be redone.

How are they going to handle crowds during this time? Are they going to not run the fireworks? Or limit them to the Hub only? Are they going to do it in sections? Or are they going to try for one big rip it all up and repave it in one go kind of thing? If so, will they divert all traffic for a time down the backstage area by JC and only allow shop access from the sidewalks?

[jackskeleton1015]

That's ver interesting

But once we got info from a cast member (when I didn't know much about Disneyland) during the first week of refurbishment for POC when they were redoing and adding Jack. He told us that it was going to be a Indy tipe ride. He said they were going to drain everything and have the same car as Indy and have it be more thrilling.

He was way off. I think he was new though

[Gymfan15]

My money is on sections...they can't do it all at once without some major congestion. It's the only way into the park, and that type of project would take too long to just divert everyone backstage. Maybe do half of the hub by the Station, then the other half, then a third of the street, then another third, and finally the last third, and then the Hub (if they plan on doing that) in two sections.

Either way, big headache for visitors and CM's alike coming soon. Won't be sad to miss it!

[Aladdin]

I'm sure most everyone remembers all the extensive refubishments done on ALL the buildings up and down Main Street, just prior to the 50th Birthday. It was done in sections, which were walled off.

Just recently, they did do some repaving of the inside of the track down Main Street. When I was there the beginning of October, I could see that the some of the inside track was not done near Coke Corner and the hub. Aldo, it didn't look like they had re-paved the outside of the track at all.

[nolimit]

No parades and no pyro for the 6 weeks.

Fantasmic will run 7 nights a week.

There was possibly going to be some sort of cavalcade type parade that went from Small World around the hub, but thats just a possibility.

[Robert Cook]

Yeah, they even did a test pavement stretch down by City Hall a few weeks ago. But yes, the pavement desperately needs to be redone.

Agreed, the asphalt has more visible cracks than a gym shower.

How are they going to handle crowds during this time? Are they going to not run the fireworks? Or limit them to the Hub only? Are they going to do it in sections? Or are they going to try for one big rip it all up and repave it in one go kind of thing? If so, will they divert all traffic for a time down the backstage area by JC and only allow shop access from the sidewalks?

Good questions. I have no idea, but I wonder whether closing the entire park a bit early on a weekday (opening earlier than usual to compensate) and opening a bit late the next day (closing later than usual to compensate) would give the crew--a really big crew--sufficient time to git-r-done in one fell swoop. The asphalt will need some time to harden, as well, as guests discovered on Black Sunday.

But once we got info from a cast member (when I didn't know much about Disneyland) during the first week of refurbishment for POC when they were redoing and adding Jack. He told us that it was going to be a Indy tipe ride. He said they were going to drain everything and have the same car as Indy and have it be more thrilling.

He was way off. I think he was new though

Is this Disneyland's version of hazing? Telling the new guy stuff like this so that everyone can giggle when he asks about the progress being made on Temple of the Forbidden Pirates?

[Eric5675]

I fhtey did it all in one night, they could let it dry the next day and put up construction walls on the sides of backstage and use that.

More likely however, they will do one sidfe going down, reopen it, and then do the other.

[Bruce Bergman]

The Fast Dry Early Strength concrete they use on Freeways for overnight patches has that nasty yellow color to it - might be able to hide it with colorant, but that also reduces the strength. And it is rather expensive.

Regular concrete with an accelerator and a coating of sealing Curing Agent could be opened to foot traffic after ~24 hours (Overnight) and light vehicle traffic (or parade floats) after about 72 hours. Class 8 Trucks, better wait a week at least.

They'll probably do Main Street in 10' x 50' or so sections (two or three truckloads of cement), and leap-frog down the street with Portable Walls. Any one section should take three or four days to rip up, replace the gravel and sand sub-base and compact it, place the steel, pour and finish, saw-cut the expansion slots, and allow to cure overnight - then clean up and move to the next section and "Lather, Rinse, Repeat."

And work in one direction so the gravel and concrete trucks stay off the new sections.

Robert: "Black Sunday" in 1955 was from fresh Asphaltic Concrete, and it does soften up when hot for a few weeks till the volatiles evaporate. (And they've learned a LOT about formulating it in the last 60 years, and have much tighter controls on the mix.)

The current Main Street paving is Portland Cement Concrete - once it sets, it's not going to soften in the sun, ever. If it does, that's the least of your worries - better get out the SPF 15-Billion sunscreen...

--<< Bruce >>--

[Goover]

[in DCA] "to all who come to this happy place...welcome! *parade music*"

can you just see it?

[goofypirate]

In regards to repainting the Main St. buildings, even since the 50th wrapped up an occasional section had gone under tarps for a period of time for repainting. I can't remember which building it was but a while back they were covered for so long that they put up a huge tarp with the building printed on it so it didn't stand out so much.