Crews from Fluor Corporation have placed the first 1.5-million-lbs. of steel girders along I-635 for the 635 East Project in Dallas, Texas. This installation is part of construction for one of the new direct connectors located at the project’s southeast end.

Pegasus Link Constructors — the joint venture of Fluor Corporation and Balfour Beatty — installed steel girders for the bridge and future replacement ramp for the existing northbound I-635 direct connector to westbound I-30.

Different from the typical concrete beams used for other bridges along the project, the steel girders are used for new bridges that require longer spans or a certain curvature with fewer bents and columns.

The four-girder, two-span steel girder unit extends over 492-ft. long — one spanning over the southbound I-635 frontage road and main lanes and the other girder spanning over the northbound main lanes and frontage road. Together, the girders weigh 1.5 million lbs. of the project's total of 38 million lbs. of structural steel.

"This milestone is the first step of many to rebuilding this highly, complex four-level interchange," Shad Gardner, director of construction for Balfour Beatty as part of the PLC joint venture, said in a statement. "Our team will continue to build bridge and roadway structures for this project, with the first direct connector opening later this year, and look to complete the entire project by late 2024."

For more information, or to follow the I-635 East construction progress, visit 635east.com.

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