Light gauge news from the Americas

Prisoners need steel, too In anticipation of an exciting new project in Will County, Illinois, public officials are pre-ordering a large amount of structural steel. This new project is actually not that exciting – the expansion of a county jail – but it is interesting how far in advance the county's public building commission is ordering the steel. The project isn't slated to begin until 2008, but the county is ordering the steel now in order to head off anticipated increases in steel prices. With no end in sight of escalating steel prices, it is a growing trend for contractors to buy their steel far in advance. Completion of the jail expansion is slated for late 2008, weather permitting. Steel plant's dreams of better life dashed on the rocky shores of the Detroit River A plan to transform the old McLouth Steel Corp. plant in Trenton, Michigan, at one time the seventh largest steel plant in the nation, into an upscale condominium complex with retail shops that would have beautified the riverfront . . . has collapsed. It sure is a shame, as Gov. Jennifer Granholm predicted the project would be "a jewel on the Detroit River," and Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano foresaw "a historic transformation." Trenton Mayor Gerald Brown said that the $600 million transformation was “going to be nice.” But there were complications. The Trenton City Council rejected a $12-million bond to pay for the Bay Village project in March. And then, Wayne County opposed a proposal to put up $43 million in bonds to clean up the site. The property owner, Michael Wilkinson, then terminated the purchase agreement with the County, selling it instead to Israeli businessman Boris Bannai, who plans to re-open the plant, now closed for three years, and begin producing steel again. Looks like Trenton is destined to remain a gloomy industrial town, after all. . . Steel houses stand the test of time They were built over 50 years ago, but they are still standing strong. In the late 1940's, 2,500 steel houses, produced in Sweden, were sent to the US for quick and easy assembly to provide housing for the large number of soldiers returning home from World War II. In Salem, Ohio, three of these houses are still standing, and they are in remarkably good shape, considering their age. Salem Preservation Society member Carolyn Caldwell said of the three houses, made from a combined 36 net tons of steel, “They're gems. I think they have weathered very well ... They look as good as can be.” Since the homes were manufactured to be nearly identical to one another, replacement parts were standard. Today, there are even web sites that allow homeowners to buy special replacement parts for their Lustron homes. Talk about convenient. Bouncing steel and spilled chicken make for a slow and smelly afternoon on the I-20/59 Interstate 20/59 in Birmingham Alabama was not a fun place to be Thursday afternoon. At 11:14 a.m., in the northbound lanes, a steel coil rolled off the back of an 18-wheeler, bouncing from the inside lane to outer lanes, punching holes into the interstate in the process. Traffic was backed up for hours, and most of the lanes remained closed for all of Thursday. Steel plates were to be placed over the holes late Thursday until repairs can be made. Thursday afternoon, the three southbound lanes of the interstate near the 31st St. exit were closed at around 2:30 p.m. when a tanker carrying chicken byproducts overturned, blocking the highway. Motorists reported the odor was horrendous.