A groundbreaking ceremony was held on April 14 to mark the beginning of construction of Jefferson Lab’s $310 million 12 GeV Upgrade project.
More than 400 people were in attendance, including local, state and national political leaders.
The upgrade is scheduled to be complete in 2015, and it will double the power of the lab’s electron beam accelerator. A fourth experimental hall will also be constructed and will include a 250-foot extension to the accelerator tunnel and new roads and utilities. The costs of the project will be supplemented by stimulus funds allotted to Jefferson Lab in the amount of $65 million.
“When the upgrade is completed in the year 2015, we will have a facility that will provide scientists with an unprecedented tool for studying the nucleus of the atom. And I believe it will help us add significantly to our understanding of our world and our universe,” said Jefferson Lab Director Hugh Montgomery.
[Source: Jefferson Lab News]
