A major milestone in the seismic renovation of the Utah Capitol has been reached after years of work.

Seismic isolators -- 265 of them -- were installed below the 90-year-old stone and marble building. The isolators allow the building to move independently of the ground during an earthquake.

The new system reduces "the seismic impact on the Capitol to a fraction of what it would otherwise be," said Jerod Johnson with Reaveley Engineers, who worked on the restoration project.

The seismic portion of the renovation included massive efforts in strengthening and stiffening the structure.

"The human effort put forth to seismically tie, brace and isolate the structure has been Herculean," said Kevin Brown, project executive for Jacobsen Hunt Joint Venture.

The remainder of the construction is scheduled to be finished in 2008 -- just in time for the legislative session in January.

The Capitol Preservation board reports on its Web site that the project is on time and within its $186 million construction budget. The restoration, including furniture and fixtures, is budgeted at $212 million.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page D3.