Concrete has been poured as the construction of the 51-metre glass elevator being built in Graskop gets under way.
The ‘big pour’, which took place on Saturday, June 17, was a concrete milestone by the developers of the Graskop glass elevator tourism centre.
The construction of the 51-metre viewing lift on Mpumalanga’s Panorama Route, is planned to open in time for the festive season.
About 60 cubic metres of concrete had been poured, which was the beginning of work on the first section of the lift base.
“The concrete mixture had to be specifically formulated to maintain its consistency, and not separate during the 60-metre drop from the top of the cliff into the foundation,” said Campbell Scott, one of the developers.
Once completed, the lift will transport visitors to the bottom of the gorge, where elevated walkways and suspension bridges will allow guests to explore the rivers and forest while learning more about the surroundings.
“Nine cement trucks from Lafarge South Africa lined up to offload one after the other. The whole process took several hours to complete and all in all, was a success,” said Scott.
