Communications tower goes up in downtown Wichita Falls

No doubt many people driving around Wichita Falls last week probably noticed a tall, yellow crane rising up between the northbound and southbound lanes of the Lloyd Ruby Overpass and wondered what was being built.

Tony Mayle of MUTI tower construction prepares to align the top section of a 160-foot tall cellphone tower Friday afternoon in the 1200 block of Broad Street.

The new construction is a 160-foot tall telecommunications tower being installed by  technicians with MUTI tower construction from Oklahoma City.

The soaring monopole is supported by a reinforced concrete foundation that measures 30 feet square and built 7 feet under ground level. The steel structure is bolted to a base 60 inches in diameter.

The tower is built to hold up to four antennae for different cellphone carriers and wiring and installation will be done at a later date.

Tony Mayle, a tower technician for MUTI tower construction, finishes up his part of building a 160-foot tall communications tower in the 1200 block of Broad Street Friday afternoon.

Preparations including property access, demolition, permits and a weather delay have taken about two years to get to this point for the one-day tower erection.

If you looked closely while passing by, one could see tower technician Tony Mayle attaching the very top section as guide ropes blew around in a stiff breeze.