When Wal-Mart announced plans to build a distribution center in Lewiston three years ago, there was swirl of controversy. Critics were alarmed that negotiations with the city were kept secret and that the wealthiest company in the world would be getting tax breaks to the tune of $17 million.

Then the dust settled.

Now it’s rising again.

In what’s being hailed as one of Maine’s biggest earth-moving projects, the 144-acre site for the distribution center is being carved from uneven land, a portion of which was the city’s gravel pit.

Lots of earth had to be moved. Lots. Construction crews estimate 1.8 million cubic yards.

In layman’s terms, that’s about 5.7 trillion pounds. Yup. Trillion.

The steady hum of heavy equipment fills the air at the work site, punctuated by a daily explosion as if the earth were hiccuping.

Once the site is level, work will begin on the buildings. A dry goods warehouse will be built first; then a refrigeration warehouse. Together the buildings will cover 20 acres – roughly 23 football fields.

When it’s operational, the distribution center will provide about 500 jobs, with an average pay of $14 per hour. In the meantime, hundreds of construction workers are employed. Some come from Florida and Tennessee, others from the far-flung corners of Maine. They stay in local motels, eat at local restaurants. One state analysis estimates the economic spinoff of the project at $39 million.

To the casual observer, the work site looks like a vast moonscape.

But to others, it’s simply pay dirt.