The U.S. Capitol debuted its scaffolding-free outer dome to Washington, D.C. on Thursday after a $60 million, two-and-a-half-year renovation project.
The Dome Restoration is now in Completion Phase. Scaffolding is gone + other materials will continue to be removed. pic.twitter.com/Kv3PwcReaD
— U.S. Capitol (@uscapitol) September 15, 2016
More than 52 miles of scaffold pipe have covered the dome for the past 29 months since construction started in April 2014. Installing and removing the 1.1 million pounds of scaffold up was no easy feat for workers, and took up about one year of the total renovation process.
Workers began removing the scaffolding six months ago in March, and visitors can expect to see a workyard at the Capitol through the fall as crews clean up the project grounds.
The dome underwent three restoration phases: the removal of 14 layers of lead paint; priming the cast iron to prevent rusting; and fixing more than 12,800 inches of cracked iron. About 1,215 gallons of “Dome White” paint later, and the 8.9 million-pound dome is in pristine condition.
