Untitled Document

D1 finds strong girding in Nebraska

D1 engineers got a rare peek behind the curtain last week when managers from Capital Steel invited them to Lincoln, Nebraska, to view the fabrication process for steel girders.

Steel girders are horizontal supports for bridges that can minimize the footprint of a project and maintain a bridge’s profile. Twelve of them will be used later this month for the reconstruction of the Interstate 90 interchange with Kingston 30 miles east of Coeur d’Alene.

As there are only four manufacturing plants that produce steel girders for the western United States, project managers Chance Cole and Mason Palmer had never had the opportunity to visit one.

“It was a glimpse into the process of producing girders,” Palmer said. “One reason for the tour was to learn how we can ensure the quality of the product we are purchasing for the taxpayers.”

Capital Steel managers took the two engineers, along with materials engineer Clint Hoops, on a tour of the facility, despite the near-zero temperatures outside.

“Not many people get the chance to witness fabrication like that,” said Ryan Hawkins, the supervisor of Cole and Palmer. “Eventually they’ll be writing specifications to accept girders, so they need to understand the process.”