WSE Rigging

On April 20th, 2022, the team at Williams Construction Services and Williams Steel Erection Co., Inc. performed the largest girder lift of the Transform 66 Outside the Beltway Project to date. Using three cranes and a Goldhofer SPMT Trailer, the 250 ton girder was moved into the highway and lifted into position during a five-hour full closure of I-66 East at the Route 28 interchange.

The carefully planned and coordinated operation presented many unique challenges, first and foremost the size of the girder. At 13 feet tall and 139 feet long, it is the tallest box girder of the project and the second longest. Because three cranes were required for the pick, keeping it level through constant communication between the operators was critical. The final location of the girder was also directly under a power line, which had to be shut down for the lift.

After the box girder was assembled next to the highway over the course of weeks, one end of the girder was placed on Williams Steel Erection Co., Inc.’s Goldhofer heavy haul trailer, while the other was lifted by a Link-Belt 200 ton crawler crane so the trailer could rotate it into the closed roadway. Once in position, the 200 ton was joined by a Link-Belt 300 ton truck crane and Liebherr 300 ton hydraulic crane. Working together, the three Williams Construction Services cranes lifted the girder into position above the highway to be secured by erector Webber before the highway reopened.

“Transform 66 Outside the Beltway” is a design-build project with VDOT, I-66 Express Mobility Partners, and general contractor FAM Construction. 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.

The Ballston Quarter Pedestrian Bridge, erected by Williams Steel Erection Co., Inc., has won a 2021 American Institute of Steel Design (AISC) IDEAS² Award.

According to AISC, the “Innovative Design in Engineering and Architecture with Structural Steel (IDEAS²) Award program recognizes projects that illustrate the exciting possibilities of building with structural steel”. The Ballston Quarter Pedestrian Bridge project exemplifies this through its use of steel to create a unique twisted structure which serves as the architectural gateway to Ballston.

While beautiful, this uniqueness made the process of constructing the bridge a major challenge. It required a complex operation where the bridge was fully assembled a half mile from the site and moved to the final location using specialized rigging and hauling equipment owned by Williams Steel Erection Co., Inc and Williams Construction Services. This was a project that could only be completed by a highly talented and experienced team, like that at Williams Industries, Inc.

In addition to the IDEAS² award, Williams Steel Erection Co., Inc. won a 2019 Steel Erection Association of America (SEAA) Project of the Year award for this project. You can read more about the IDEAS2 award and see additional pictures on the AISC website.

Williams Steel Erection Co., Inc. has once again won Project of the Year, this time for its work on the Ballston Quarter Pedestrian Walkway in Arlington, VA. This award was won in the Class II category.

The Project of the Year award, given by the Steel Erectors Association of America (SEAA), recognizes steel erection projects that “demonstrate complexity, unusual conditions, issues, and barriers requiring special management team action or performance.” Williams Steel won the Class III Project of the Year award in 2018 for its work on the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project – Phase 2.

The company’s work on this project required problem solving a challenging, high-profile project involving complex steel framing and challenging site conditions. You can read more about this process here.

The awards ceremony, previously scheduled to be held at the 48th Annual SEAA National Convention and Trade Show in Charleston, SC, was cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions. The project will be featured in SEAA’s Connector trade magazine later this year.

The Fall 2019 edition of SEAA’s Connector Magazine is out and Williams Steel Erection Co., Inc. has made the cover for their award winning performance on the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project – Phase 2.

Williams Steel won the Class III 2018 SEAA Project of the Year award for their work on this project and were recognized at the 47th SEAA Convention & Trade Show in Charlotte, NC on April 25, 2019. This award, given annually, recognizes projects that “demonstrate complexity, unusual conditions, issues, and barriers requiring special management team action or performance.”

On this complex job Williams Steel erected over 3500 tons of structural steel across 5 stations, 9 entrance pavilions, and 31 pedestrian bridge sections over less than 2 years. The connector article describes some of the unique challenges faced on this project as well as how the company’s experience and dedicated employees led to a successful project completion. The company’s employees also won a 2019 Washington Building Congress Craftsmanship Award for their work on this project.

Be sure to read the Connector article to learn about the great work Williams Steel employees did to make the project a success.

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.

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