Author: Matt Skinner

Williams Steel Erection Co., Inc. has erected yet another pedestrian bridge at the new addition to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

The 150 ton, 310 ft long bridge was fabricated in large sections and deliverd to the site. It was then partially assembled on the ground and erected in 4 pieces over the weekend of May 10th to 13th.

The trapezoid shaped box girder design of the bridge meant custom assembly jigs and shoring had to be used during the operation to ensure stability. The work required a total road closure of a major arterial roadway in the District.

The bridge, which crosses Rock Creek Parkway next to the Potomac River in downtown Washington, DC, is part of the $250 million “The REACH” expansion of the Kennedy Center. It will officially open in September 2019.

To see more of Williams Steel Erection Co., Inc.’s pedestrian bridge resume, click here.

When Williams Steel Erection Co., Inc. set the new pedestrian bridge at Ballston Quarter in Arlington, VA on February 15th and 16th, a camera crew was on hand to capture the action. Check out the video below of the operation as well as interviews with the key players explaining the special challenges of this project and how they were overcome.

For more information check out our other posts about this project.

Williams Construction Services has recently added a brand new 330 Ton Liebherr LR 1300 SX crawler crane to the fleet.

The crane has started in service at the new terminal being built at Orlando International Airport. The new terminal is being erected by Williams Erection Company based in Smyrna, GA. Contact Williams Construction Services at 703-335-7830 for rental inquiries.

The Steel Erectors Association of America (SEAA) has published their 2018 Project of the Year winners in the May edition of Connector Magazine. Included is Williams Steel Erection Co., Inc. for their Class III winning project, the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project – Phase 2.

This long term project connects Dulles International Airport to the nation’s capitol. The company’s scope of work included 5 stations, 9 entrance pavilions, and 31 pedestrian bridge sections. For more information check out previous New posts.

Congratulations to the Williams Steel Erection Co., Inc. team for winning the Class III 2018 SEAA Project of the Year for their work on the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project – Phase 2. The award is given to projects that “demonstrate complexity, unusual conditions, issues, and barriers requiring special management team action or performance.”

The project team faced many challenges on this project including the 12 mile long jobsite, 5+ year project duration, limited access, and the shear scope of the work to be done.

Williams Steel Erection Co., Inc. employees previously won a 2019 Washington Building Congress Craftsmanship Award for their work on the project. The company gave a presentation of the project’s challenges and how it overcame them at the 47th SEAA Convention & Trade Show in Charlotte, NC on April 25, 2019.

View the Presentation

The curved stainless steel canopies that cover the entrances to underground stations are familiar to anyone who has ridden on Washington DC’s Metrorail. Over the years Williams Steel Erection Co., Inc. has erected many of these canopies including the one pictured below at the Shady Grove station. This canopy is one of ten canopies the company has been contracted to erect recently.

These canopies are erected at night to avoid interruptions to Metrorail service and are often located in tight quarters. To ensure that erection can be completed in these conditions, the roof sections are made into large panels in the shop and shipped whole to the site. Their complex shape requires special attention to how the sections are rigged and erected.

The canopies were fabricated by Chattanooga Boiler and Tank Co. in Chattanooga, TN.

Williams Steel Erection Co., Inc. has begun erection of the new Union Bank & Trust Center at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA. Slated to open in the fall of 2020, this new indoor arena will seat 8,500 during sporting events and 10,000 during commencement.

Williams Steel Erection will be erecting about 2,500 tons of structural steel including roof trusses that weigh 60 tons each and are up to 230 feet long. Progress on the project can be followed via webcam.

The steel for the project is being fabricated by Banker Steel Company in Lynchburg, VA and S.B. Ballard Construction is the general contractor.

Williams Steel Erection Co., Inc. congratulates the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project – Phase 2 team for winning a 2019 Washington Building Congress Award! The awards banquet was held March 29th and recognised the company’s craftsmen for their “high standards of excellence in the construction trades.”

Williams Steel Erection Co., Inc. thanks all employees who worked on the project for their efforts, especially the foreman who were recognized at the banquet; Sherman Hill, Wilber Salguero, William Martinez, John Manfredi, and Cameron Maddox. The company would not be able to perform the complex and exciting work that it does without these experience craftsmen. Congratulations to each one of them for this achievement.