Wrecking Corporation of America Wins Complex Demolition

**James** · #1 (**permalink**) 06-15-2006, 07:21 AM

Wrecking Corporation of America (WCA), which has helped pave the way for the future of the DC area through numerous high-profile demolition projects, has been awarded a contract for the demolition of a 6-level garage, building excavation, and site preparation for a new commercial building on Capitol Hill. The site is adjacent to the existing 51 Louisiana Avenue office building and down the street from the US Capitol. The general contractor for the project is the Maryland-based Clark Construction Group.

“Like most projects in a metropolitan area, this job is complicated by a number of factors,” said Terry Anderson, Wrecking Corp. EVP. “To begin with, the site abuts the occupied 51 Louisiana Ave. office building, and great care is required to mitigate impact to the existing building and its occupants, either from razing the garage or excavating the site. It’s extremely important to take all necessary precautions to ensure public safety. The site is surrounded by busy streets and a hotel on the north side. Traffic and pedestrian control will be critical. The DC Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs has been extremely cooperative in the past in allowing reasonable lane closures and after-hour work shifts to bring these projects to fruition.

“The excavation aspect of this project is particularly challenging,” Anderson said. “We’ll be digging down about 60 feet to accommodate a new subterranean parking garage, right next to a metro tunnel. In addition, Tiber Creek, which has been buried in a stone culvert since the 1800s, runs through a corner of the property and special care will be required to excavate next to it.”

WCA will raze the six-story, 170,000 square-foot garage, which is constructed of reinforced concrete, removing approximately 11,000 cubic yards of concrete and rebar from the site for processing and recycling. The company then will excavate for a 10-story building and underground garage, trucking approximately 80,000 cubic yards of dirt and other debris from the site to prepare for the new foundation work.

Demolition and excavation on the site are scheduled to begin this month and are slated for completion in early 2007.

About Wrecking Corporation of America
Wrecking Corporation of America took down its first downtown DC building 30 years ago. Headquartered in Alexandria, VA, Wrecking Corp. has worked on a number of high-profile projects downtown and in the surrounding metropolitan areas, including the George Washington Hospital and the former Washington Convention Center. Wrecking Corp. specializes in the challenges of demolishing high-profile commercial projects and cramped urban sites as well as sprawling multi-building complexes. For more information, visit the Wrecking Corp. web site at www.wreckingcorp.com or call 703.823.3850.