"We poured between 1,200 yards and 1,500 yards each hour," says Michael Marchesano, general superintendent with Turner Construction Co.'s local office.

The operation demanded careful choreography between 208 concrete mixers—each making a dozen trips to and from one of eight Southern California batch plants—and 225 workers operating 19 concrete pumps. Bringing so many trucks downtown via the city's notoriously congested freeways required meticulous logistical planning, says Marchesano.