Rudolph and Sletten Goes Wild
in San Diego
SAN DIEGO, CA (March 30, 2007)-- Rudolph and Sletten General Contractors announced today the completion of the build out of the new “Journey Into Africa” tour, San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park’s newest attraction. Rudolph and Sletten is serving as the construction manager for the $28.8 million project launched in September 2005, which also includes a new Elevator Tower forest excursion to be in place in October.
The Journey Into Africa tour is replacing the existing Wgasa Bush Line, the current safari-like railway, and will offer guests a more integrated and realistic experience with the large animals, including cheetahs, antelopes, lions, giraffes, okapis, and rhinoceroses.
The Journey Into Africa project includes seven separate build outs. Of those, three are complete, including a temporary monorail link to allow part of the existing Wgasa Bush Line Tour to remain in service during construction; a new boma animal containment building; and a large camouflaged barrier between the African and Asian enclosures.
Of the park’s 655 acres of developed land, Rudolph and Sletten has covered more than 300,000 square feet with landscaping, and 320,000 square feet with concrete.
Known for its innovative construction of some of California’s favorite destination spots, such as SeaWorld and the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Rudolph and Sletten was selected for the project because of its technical expertise and experience with unique visitor attractions.
“The San Diego Wild Animal Park is not just an amusement park, it is a real-life adventure,” said superintendent Bob Boyles of Rudolph and Sletten’s San Diego office, which is overseeing the construction. “We go to special lengths to enhance the guest experience, and construct buildings and other features that surround visitors with authenticity, such as natural elements and native finishes.”
The Park has been open every day during construction, and maintaining a flow as well as safety for guests, staff, and animals has been challenging. “It is a unique project,” said Boyles. “It’s not every project where you are charged by rhinos and white lipped deer.”
The Journey Into Africa tour and Station
The Journey Into Africa tour has been set up with more than two miles of concrete road bed and related landscaping. The construction also includes new fencing and predator/exhibit animal barriers surrounding the large animal exhibits.
A new station with queue lines for docking, loading and offloading guests riding the new Journey Into Africa vehicles is currently at 95% completion. Other projects scheduled for completion in March include a new maintenance building for the tour vehicles, with related parking, fueling and cleaning facilities.
Elevator Tower—the “Great Rift Lift”
The feature highlight of the Journey Into Africa will be an elevated forest adventure, where visitors can venture via an elevated walkway through a canopy of forest trees. The Wild Animal Park anticipates moving 1,100 guests an hour from the upper Mombasa Village to the Africa Tour’s lower exhibits, such as Lion Camp, Heart of Africa, Flamingos, Cool Zone and Balloon Ride.
Monorail Link
So that the existing Wgasa Tour could remain open during construction of the new Journey Into Africa tour, Rudolph and Sletten constructed a monorail link, connecting existing monorail roadbed and electrified (480v) track. The link enabled the train ride to operate in 50% of the original tour, and included a pre-cast concrete bridge spanning 70 feet, with concrete abutment walls on either side.
Asia/Africa Barrier
To separate the Journey Into Africa tour from the Asia open-range enclosure, Rudolph and Sletten completed the construction of a new k-rail, shotcrete wall barrier with airlock, creating a Jurassic Park atmosphere for guests. The structural barrier is designed to resemble mud banks and natural rocks.
Boma Animal Containment Building
Within the Journey Into Africa, Rudolph and Sletten constructed a new large boma serving as a protected containment building specifically designed to support giraffes, rhinoceroses and many other animals. Some animals may require special attention in the boma when pregnant and for a short time after giving birth. The Wild Animal Park has the world’s most successful breeding program for southern white rhinos. The specialized birthing rooms also have giraffe and rhinoceros restraints for light medical procedures and basic animal maintenance. Also included in the new boma are yards for animal behavioral control.
About Rudolph and Sletten
Rudolph and Sletten General Contractors, Inc. is one of the leading general contracting firms on the West Coast. Rudolph and Sletten is a wholly owned independent subsidiary of Perini Corporation (NYSE:PCR), the country’s fifteenth largest construction services company. As a pace setter in the construction industry, Rudolph and Sletten has provided quality-oriented general contracting and construction management services for four decades. Rudolph and Sletten’s expert professionals manage each job comprehensively, from site selection and preconstruction services through project completion. With its corporate headquarters in Redwood City, the company also has regional offices in Roseville, Irvine, and San Diego, California.
Rudolph and Sletten’s building expertise includes virtually all types of projects with an emphasis on those markets where their technical expertise and quality excel: biotechnology and pharmaceutical research and manufacturing; electronics; nanotechnology; health care; and high-tech research. Other areas of expertise include corporate campuses and office buildings, hotels and entertainment, educational institutions, housing, and retail facilities. Rudolph and Sletten’s current clients include Hewlett-Packard, Genentech, Kaiser, Stanford University, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Chiron, eBay, and the University of California.
Perini Corporation offers general contracting, pre-construction planning and comprehensive project management services, including the planning and scheduling of the manpower, equipment, materials, and subcontractors required for a project. Perini also offers self-performed construction services including site work, concrete forming and placement and steel erection. They are known for their hospitality and gaming industry projects, sports and entertainment, educational, transportation, healthcare, biotech, pharmaceutical and high-tech facilities, as well as large and complex civil construction projects and construction management services to U.S. military and government agencies.
