Video: BlueCross BlueShield tree topping

Construction workers topped out BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee’s new downtown Chattanooga headquarters Thursday as the insurer aims at moving in its first office employees in January.

“By the end of June, everybody will be up here,” said Dan Jacobson, the health insurer’s vice president of properties, about the central city’s biggest-ever office investment.

Workers ceremonially marked finishing work on the superstructure of the five buildings going up on Cameron Hill. They used a crane to lift an evergreen tree along with an American flag on top of one of the structures.

Gary Hamilton, the $299 million job’s general superintendent, said the topping out milestone refers to completion of the project’s concrete shell.

He said between 350 and 400 workers are on site as each building is in a different state of construction.

Mr. Jacobson said work is about 60 percent done on the project that’s transforming the downtown skyline.

“We’re still on track and on schedule,” Mr. Jacobson said.

He said workers in the company’s data center will be among the first employees to shift up the hill as they test equipment.

In all, about 4,000 workers will be consolidated from the insurer’s offices around the city to the 950,000-square-foot facility.

Staff Photo by D. Patrick Harding -- Progress continues at the construction site of the BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee headquarters on Cameron Hill.

On Thursday, construction workers and others associated with the new campus, including those with project manager The Staubach Co., were fed a meal as part of topping-out festivities.

A group of six specially picked BlueCross employees were on hand to check out the progress on the massive building project that began in 2006.

They will report their observations on office blog for employees, company spokeswoman Mary Thompson said.

The eight-level, 3,000-space parking deck is nearing completion, Mr. Jacobson said. He lauded builder Skanska EMJ Russell for watching expenses and keeping the project on budget.

“I’ve got nothing but praise for the construction team,” Mr. Jacobson said.

When the campus opens, the site will have two ways for workers to enter the headquarters, and BlueCross’ flexible scheduling will help ease the traffic to the entrances and exits, he said.