As the Transform 66 Outside the Beltway project continues, Williams Construction Services is providing equipment rentals to multiple customers working on various projects along the highway. On January 27, 2021, nine different WCS cranes performed work for three different customers from 7:00 AM on Wednesday to 5:00 AM the following day.
The day began at the intersection of I-66 and I-495, where a 40-ton Terex worked with FAM to install rebar on new piers for eastbound express lane exits. Just down I-66 West from there, a 20-ton National and 35-ton Lorain installed sound walls for Webber at Gallows Road and Cedar Lane.
Continuing down I-66 West, WCS’s 125-ton Krupp was installing sound walls for Webber on the eastbound side of the highway between Jermantown Road and Waples Mill Road. WCS also provided Webber with a 100-ton LinkBelt to complete rebar installation on a new pier for the Route 50 West overpass.
After working five cranes during the day, four cranes were used for night lifts that required lane closures. At Route 50, WCS’s Liebherr 330-ton 1300 was used by Webber to lift precast girders for the new Route 50 East overpass. I-66 westbound lane closures were required for the girder delivery, and a 55-ton Terex assisted with unloading.
In Gainesville, a 300-ton and 200-ton LinkBelt teamed up with Indus to lift precast girders over I-66 East for a new exit into the Gainesville Park and Ride facility (see video). The size of the girders required each to be picked by two cranes and placed on the piers during overnight lane closures of I-66 East.
At the end of the 22-hour stretch, Williams Construction Services’ cranes and operators had worked upwards of 75 hours on I-66 at seven different locations. WCS has rented cranes to FAM, Webber, Indus, and other contractors throughout this project, and continues to work on bridge, pier, and sound wall installation at numerous locations along the project route.
“Transform 66 Outside the Beltway” is a design-build project with VDOT, I-66 Express Mobility Partners, and general contractor FAM. Construction began in 2017 to add express lanes to a 22.5-mile stretch of I-66 from I-495 in Falls Church to Route 29 in Gainesville. The project is scheduled to be completed in 2022.