SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (ABC4) — As construction and renovations continue on the historic Salt Lake Temple—including seismic retrofit—some unexpected challenges on the pioneer-era structure have arisen, pushing out the previously announced 2025 completion date.

Though progress on the project remains steady, church leaders, project consultants, and the general contractor on the assignment are now estimating a total completion of the project by 2026.

With this project first started back in 2019, the ongoing construction milestones will continue to be shared, as well as the final completion date and open house schedule once determined to be feasible.

The temple perimeter is now surrounded by a concrete slab, providing the crew with a clean and level surface to work on. This surface will also be used by ironworkers to assemble reinforced steel cages, which will eventually be encased in concrete to become new footings along the existing foundations both inside and outside. Base isolators will rest on this new foundation once completed.

The excavation’s depth from the former sidewalk to the new slab is 35 feet (10.6 meters).

Work continues on the northwest corner of Temple Square, where the North Visitors’ Center once stood, with the area expected to finish sometime in the early fall of 2023.

When this project is completed, workers will begin construction on the southwest corner of Temple Square, where the Assembly Hall, surrounding gardens, and facilities will be closed while crews remove the restroom buildings and portions of the wall.

In addition, the area will be closed for approximately a year while the crews update the landscaping.

Once the northwest corner opens, more information will be provided on how to access Temple Square.

The Lion House, as announced in November 2022, is closed for renovations and the Beehive House is scheduled to close on April 8, 2023.

Further information and updates can be found on the website for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.