pedestrian bridge

Ballston Quart Ped Bridge Wins AISC Award

Posted on June 1, 2021 by

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 Wins 2019 SEAA Project of the Year

Posted on May 27, 2020 by
Ballston Quarter Pedestrian Bridge

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.

Williams Steel Erects Bridge at Kennedy Center

Posted on June 5, 2019 by

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.

Williams Steel in Action at Ballston Quarter

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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.

Community Interest in Ballston Bridge

Posted on February 20, 2019 by

It is great to see lots of interest from the community on the recently erected Ballston Quarter pedestrian bridge completed by Williams Steel Erection Co., Inc. The Williams Steel team is honored to be able to use our expertise to enhance our community and the whole mid-Atlantic region. This post contains some highlights of the operation from around the internet.

Ballston Quarter Pedestrian Bridge

Note: Links are to external sites not operated by Williams Industries, Inc.  Williams Industries, Inc. does not accept any responsibility for the content or views expressed on external sites.

The Arlington Connection

The Ballston Quarter pedestrian bridge was moved into place on Saturday, Feb. 16, spanning Wilson Boulevard.

ARLnow

Workers are installing a new and improved pedestrian bridge over Wilson Blvd in Ballston this weekend, but that will mean some major road closures.

Another Bridge at Loudoun Gateway

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Williams Steel Erection Co., Inc. and Williams Construction Services have done it again with the erection of a pedestrian bridge connecting the new Loudoun Gateway Station on the second phase of the Washington Metro’s Silver Line to a new parking garage being built by Loudoun County to service the station.

This 175 ft long, 100 ton bridge was assembled on the ground in two pieces and set in place using Williams Construction Services 300 Ton capacity truck crane.

To successfully complete this project, Williams Steel drew on their extensive experience building pedestrian bridges on 5 of the stations that make up the second phase of the Silver Line for which they won a 2019 Washington Building Congress Craftsmanship Award. The Loudoun Gateway Station can be seen in the background of the photo above.

The tight placement and size of this bridge provided unique conditions which Williams Steel overcame by building the bridge in two sections utilizing a custom engineered shoring solution to support the bridge during final placement. It is this type of carefully planned operation that Williams Steel Erection and Williams Construction Services specialize in.

Check out more pictures of this operation below.

Connecting Arlington

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The Ballston Quarter pedestrian bridge crossing Wilson Boulevard in Arlington, Virginia has been a community landmark for many years. When the owner decided to replace the bridge they wanted to create an iconic structure that would set it apart and had a daring architectural design prepared. Then they had to build it.

This is where Williams Steel Erection Co., Inc. comes in. The complex shape, large size, and location over a busy street in downtown Arlington are just some of the challenges that had to be overcome to build the structure. To make it happen, Williams Steel used innovative “accelerated bridge construction” methods that it has become known for.

First, the 145 ft long, 100 ton bridge was completely assembled about a quarter of a mile from the final location in Mosaic Park. The bridge was fabricated by Crystal Steel Fabricators in Memphis, Tennessee and shipped to Virginia in large, truck-sized pieces.

Bridge during assembly in Mosaic Park.
Fully assembled bridge.

Next, the bridge was loaded onto, Williams Steel’s Goldhofer heavy haul trailer pulled by our Oshkosh M1040 prime mover and moved from the park to the final location. This operation involved significant coordination to close streets, move traffic lights and signs, and keep the public safe.

Diagram of bridge transportation path through Arlington.
The Goldhofer heavy haul rig transporting the bridge.

Finally, the bridge was hoisted into place using a 600 Ton capacity crane and set down on the piers.

Bridge being hoisted into place.

Building the bridge structure using this method saved weeks to months of road closures on Wilson Boulevard and eliminated many of the safety risks associated with a partially completed structure being built over a road. When done properly by experienced professionals, this type of operation is much safer and simpler than traditional methods of construction over roadways.

The team at Williams Steel Erection Co., Inc. provides the resources and experience to complete this and other projects of similar complexity and standing. We are honored to be able to use these abilities to provide services that enhance our community and communities throughout the mid-Atlantic region.

Pedestrian Bridge Erection for Silver Line Extension

Posted on September 15, 2017 by

Williams Steel Erection Co., Inc. is assembling and erecting 32 pedestrian bridges for Phase 2 of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Silver Line Extension project.  The bridges will connect the 5 at-grade stations in the median of the Dulles Toll Road and Dulles  Greenway to the wayside parking areas.  Below are pictures from August 21st and 23rd setting 2 spans at the new Herndon Station.  Check back soon for more updates on this project.

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