Freedom Tower steel arrives in US
Steel for New York City's Freedom Tower to be built at Ground Zero has begun to arrive in the United States, and the latest arrival consists of giant steel columns from Lynchburg, Virginia's Banker Steel.
Banker Steel is preparing to fabricate steel
beams that will be used for the for the foundation of the Freedom Tower, which will be erected at the site of the World Trade Center's two towers, destroyed September 11, 2001. After crews weld 6-inch steel plates to the sides of the 40-ton I-
beams to give them strength, the company plans to put them on public display and allow citizens to write messages on them.
"This is an opportunity for more people to be involved in this than just Banker Steel," said company owner Don Banker. Initially, Mr. Banker will put the
beams on display in Lynchburg for several days before taking them around to other small Virginia communities.
The 22-by-18 inch
beams were originally manufactured in
Luxembourg, then transported by train to Antwerp,
Belgium. They were then shipped to ports in Portsmouth and Camden, New
Jersey. They began arriving in Lynchburg last week.
Fabrication work will likely start in early November.
Approximately 50,000 net tons of steel in total will be used to build the Freedom Tower. It will rise a soaring 1,776 feet high and include 2.6 million square feet of office space, plus tenant amenity spaces, an observation deck, restaurants, and broadcast and antennae facilities.
Thieves target old cars for scrap
In Witchita, Kansas, thieves have been stealing old vehicles from streets and empty lots to sell to a salvage company as steel
scrap, Witchita police announced this week after the arrest of two suspects.
The two men in custody are believed to have stolen over two dozen vehicles since early September, creating phony bills of sale before hawking the cars at Aaron's Auto Recycling for cash, police said.
Aaron's was tipped off to the car thefts after a man called and asked them to look out for his stolen 1958 Buick. The stolen car was already there, and luckily, the two men who had brought in the car had told Aaron's they would be back later that day with another vehicle. Police were notified and the suspects were arrested after they showed up at Aaron's with another stolen car. Unfortunately, most of the other vehicles brought in by the suspects has already been scrapped.
Tim Michael, manager at Aaron's, said that the thieves were most likely motivated by the high prices now paid for
scrap metal – Junk cars that once brought in $25 a piece in the area, are now bringing in $125 each.
Steel condos for sale in Denver, CO
Real estate investors Kristen and Dean Del Calzo have developed an “urban triplex,”in Denver, Colorado, made out of pre-engineered steel.
The steel-sided building will be weather, fire, pest, and warp resistant, with 1,925 square foot units, priced at around $500,000 each.
Ryan Neville, Kentwood City broker who will market the project, said of the residential complex, "The commercial, pre-engineered metal building techniques are user-friendly and won't burden the environment the way traditional wood-framed homes do. It also means exterior maintenance is virtually non-existent."
Groundbreaking on the project will take place in December.
Steel Bridge too small for Chesapeake commuters
In order to replace the puny12-ft high Steel Bridge on Dominion Boulevard above the Elizabeth River, engineers in Chesapeake, Virginia are thinking big. Very big.
The current bridge is not high enough for larger boats to pass under it, so the bridge must open 14 times a day, stalling traffic on the two-lane crossing.
"We've always considered a new Steel Bridge our No. 1 transportation project, behind the Gilmerton Bridge replacement and the widening of Interstate 64 at the high-rise bridge," said Eric Martin, Chesapeake's city engineer.
One idea the engineers are mulling over is to build a whopping 95-foot high, 4-lane bridge, which would be the region's tallest, with a price tag that could range anywhere from $111 to $154 million, funded by the state, federal grants, and to many drivers' dismay – tolls. Drivers would have to pay a toll to travel the full five-mile stretch of a widened Dominion Boulevard. A study is under way to determine the cost.
Designs for the new bridge will be on display at Great Bridge Primary School this week. The public is invited to comment on the plans.
Accident involving manhole cover cuts electricity for Columbus residents
A gas line blew in a suburban neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio this week, sending a steel
plate flying into electrical
wire and leaving approximately 2,600 residents without electricity.
The accident happened Tuesday night while crews worked on a maintenance project to replace a high-pressure gas main in the Mifflin Township neighborhood.
After the new line was connected with an existing line and gas was put into the system, the line blew apart, sending a manhole into the air.
Luckily, the leak was isolated and gas was turned off within five minutes. Electricity was restored to all customers by early Wednesday, a representative from the electricity company said.