The wooden forms for the first of 80 monorail columns were laid in early May and concrete pouring for the first column began on May 23 between Virginia and Lenora streets. The Virginia-Lenora columns, each weighing , were lifted upright by a crane onto a prepared concrete footing on June 15. Concrete pouring at the Westlake Mall terminal began in late June, with plans to build the station platforms over Pine Street. The monorail's precast concrete beams were assembled in Tacoma and trucked up to Seattle, with special permission from the Washington State Highway Commission, and the first was installed on September 21 between Virginia and Stewart streets before advancing northwards. Column construction and girder installation took approximately eight months in total, with at least three lanes of traffic on 5th Avenue remaining open during most periods.