Construction News from New York and Pennsylvania

Matthew Phair -- Constructioneer, 5/22/2007 11:36:00 AM

Trade Center Memorial And Museum Steel Packages Awarded
New York, N.Y. – The World Trade Center Memorial Foundation and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced May 8 that Owen Steel Company, Inc. was selected to provide both the jumbo and structural steel packages for construction of the World Trade Center Memorial and Museum. Owen Steel Company will be responsible for all services required for the supply, fabrication and erection of the structural steel members, including procurement, engineering, trucking, and delivery. The jumbo steel represents approximately 20 percent of the steel members for the project.

Only two steel mills in the world produce sections of steel which fit both the jumbo steel size requirements and US specifications. Under the direction of Owen Steel Company, the jumbo steel will be rolled at Arcelor Mittal in Luxembourg and shipped to the United States later this year for fabrication. The remaining 80 percent of the structural steel will be rolled at domestic mills and delivered to Owen Steel for fabrication.

Fabrication will begin later this year, and the first pieces of steel are expected to be erected at the World Trade Center site in December 2007. The erector will be Cornell & Company. Owen Steel Company, headquartered in Columbia, South Carolina, was founded in 1936, and is among the leading contractors for complex structural steel work.

Wind Turbine Blade Splintering Explained
Altoona, Pa. – At what is slated to become Pennsylvania's largest wind farm, an apparent defect in an adhesive applicator caused 13 wind turbine blades to splinter. Large pieces of two blades broke off in mid-March at the Allegheny Ridge Wind Farm near Lilly along the Blair-Cambria County border. No one was injured, but residents said some pieces flew more than 500 feet. Manufacturer Gamesa of Spain initially said seven blades showed splintering, but an inspection found four more. The investigation delayed the planned March-April startup of some windmills at the farm, which eventually will become the state's largest.