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The games proved to be one of the biggest construction projects Vancouver’s inside Local 213 has ever worked on, putting hundreds of members and travelers from throughout North America to work. These trained electricians got the work done on budget and on time to guarantee that the games were ready to go the moment the Olympic cauldron was lit.

Among the projects the IBEW worked on were:

A new light-rail system to shuttle Olympic guests from Vancouver International Airport downtown.
A timer and lighting system for the official bobsled track. “It’s one of the best tracks in the world,” said Gary Bowsher, an 18-year member of Vancouver’s utility Local 258, who worked on the track. It is outfitted with multi-purpose panels with video, audio and Internet connections. “We did all this on a mountain and sometimes in the snow”, he said.
A 1.2-million-square-foot trade and convention center
Several other projects on Whistler Mountain – home to the skiing and bobsled competitions – including a broadcast center and refrigeration unit to make artificial snow

Members of Local 258 were also kept busy, rebuilding cable along Highway 99 – the major north-to-south artery through Vancouver – into Whistler Mountain.

During the games, more than 70 members of Local 258 remain on call to assist in case of an electrical malfunction. But their labor wasn’t needed, says Local 258 Business Manager Doug McKay, “because we got the job done right the first time.”

Photo used under a Creative Commons license from Flickr user TylerIngram

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