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It’s a bird! It’s a crane! It’s . . . the Silver Line!
I
f your parents drive you to the malls in Tysons Corner this summer, you’ll see a lot of tall cranes, backhoes and
orange cones and barrels. The chaos is from construction of a new Metro line to Dulles International Airport. Workers are gearing up to tackle the
biggest high-wire act of the six-year proj- ect: A new bridge that will carry Silver Line trains 30 feet above the Capital Beltway on their way to the airport. At its highest point, the bridge will rise 65 feet above the sidewalks of Tysons. The Beltway bridge is also known as an aerial guideway, or flyover, since it will swoop over the concrete of high- ways. Making things even more complex and dangerous, construction is already going on under the Beltway right at this spot — on Route 123. Ironworkers and pile drivers (machines that pound sup- port beams called piles into the ground) are busy building giant supports called piers along Route 123 to support a sep- arate project that is widening the Belt- way for carpool lanes. Engineers had to figure out a way to build the flyover for the trains over the Beltway and Route 123 while 12 lanes of traffic are moving underneath. That’s be- cause closing down the Beltway at Ty- sons wasn’t an option. The technique the engineers chose is called sequential as- sembly. It means the flyover will be built in small pieces rather than by laying big slabs of concrete between the piers. The pieces will hold up the subway tracks. First, workers are building a massive overhead crane called a truss at the edge of the Beltway. Then they will hoist hun- dreds of 25-ton blocks of concrete from a truck and suspend them from the crane, one by one. The blocks are being made by pouring
concrete into special molds at Dulles Airport. The segments come out looking the same, but each one is different, de- signed for a particular spot on the bridge.
JAHI CHIKWENDIU/THE WASHINGTON POST
Trusses are building the aboveground tracks for Metro’s Silver Line.
The segments will be held together by steel cables called tendons. They’re locked in place and glued with a super- strong epoxy. After that, the remote- controlled truss moves on to the next part. The truss looks like a giant yellow Le-
go block on stilts. Three of these custom- built cranes will be needed to build the first 11.5 miles of the rail line, which will go out to Reston by 2013. In all, six miles of track (three inbound and three out- bound) will sit aboveground. There will also be elevated sections along the sec- ond half of the rail line, from Reston to the airport. When the entire Silver Line is completed in 2016, you will be able to take a train from Washington or Mary- land all the way out to Dulles Airport. How old will you be then? The truss should be finished this fall.
But Metro has been showing it off this summer at community fairs in Fairfax County, using blown-up photographs on a big board. Marcia McAllister, project spokes- woman, says kids are interested in the work. “They can’t wait until the truss starts to move down the road,” McAllis- ter said. “They will have a lot more to see very soon.”
—Lisa Rein Average 40 ſt.
1 2
Span
Each segment is custom-engineered to fit a specific location and liſted into place. Segments are made at Dulles Airport and trucked to the site. More than 2,700 segments will be used to build the six miles of elevated track.
Traffic will be stopped for a short time
Truss Pier
KLMNO FRAZZ
TUESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2010 JEF MALLETT
TODAY: Partly sunny and hot
HIGH LOW 90 76
ILLUSTRATION BY BRITTANY HEAD, 10, BURKE
Planning for our Metro system began in the 1950s. Construction began in 1969. It opened in 1976.
Piece-by-piece construction It takes about a week to complete a span, and then it takes about half a day to advance the truss to the next span.
A segment is a precast concrete block that interlocks with other segments to form a span. An average segment weighs 25 tons; the heaviest is about 45 tons. Segments are 17 feet wide and 10 feet long.
361 ſt.
Launching direction
267 Station
TYSONS WEST
TYSONS CENTRAL 7
Station 7 123
Tysons Corner D
construction underway
Tysons Galleria
SPRING Station
TYSONS CENTRAL 123
Tysons Corner Center
0 FEET
A truss is a self-propelled machine that erects spans between each pier.
Aerial A 495 S Station 2000
when the truss moves above roadways.
A winch hoists the segments. Edges are sealed with epoxy, joined and aligned, a process known as “gluing and screwing.” Steel strands threaded through holes inside segments bind them together.
SOURCE: Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project
BILL WEBSTER AND ALBERTO CUADRA /THE WASHINGTON POST
6
An online guide to events, night life and entertainment
Blue-ribbon alternatives to fairs F
air season is upon us, and for those who prefer the fine arts to the art of sheep shearing, that can be bad
news. But all is not lost: Although August may be a little less packed than other months with performances and exhibits, there’s certainly enough going on to keep you away from the scent of corn dogs and the sound of shouting children. Here are a few things to look forward to.
IMPROVAPALOOZA Three days of comedy to pull you out of your “It’s August already?!” state. With about five acts an hour, you’re bound to find something to laugh at. Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m.; Sunday at noon. Washington Improv
c
Theatre at the Source, 1835 14th St. NW. 866-811-4111. www.
washingtonimprovtheater.com. $10 single-day pass; $20 three-day pass.
BUGS BUNNY AT THE SYMPHONY George Daughtery conducts the
National Symphony Orchestra in live accompaniment to Bugs Bunny cartoons at Wolf Trap. TV screens on the lawn and near the stage will show the classic cartoons, including “The Rabbit of Selville” and “What’s Opera, Doc?” Friday and Saturday at 8:30 p.m.
Wolf Trap, 1551 Trap Rd., Vienna. 703-255-1868. $20-$52.
TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS Despite the fact that Petty and Co. never seem to stop touring, they always
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twitter.com/goingoutgurus Search Going Out Guide in the App Store
ROCK OF AGES: Tom Petty and his
band play Jiffy Lube Live on Aug. 15.
put on a good show. See them on their latest tour, which follows the release of their new album, “Mojo.” Aug. 15 at 7 p.m. Jiffy Lube Live, 7800 Cellar Door Dr., Bristow. 703-754-6400.
www.jiffylubelive.com. $41-$141.
JOHN GOSSAGE: THE POND Capturing images of ponds in the suburbs between Baltimore and Washington, John Gossage shows beauty in undiscovered territory. The exhibit runs through Jan. 17 at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Eighth and F streets NW. 202-633-1000 (TDD: 202-633-5285). www.
americanart.si.edu. Free.
SAM JONES
‘CHESS’ Written by the composers of “Mamma
Mia!,” this rock musical tells of the struggle between an American and a Russian trying to become the world’s best chess master, as well as win the same woman’s heart. The Cold War-era
romance first hit Broadway in 1988. Aug. 10 through Sept. 26. Signature
Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington. 703-573-7328.
www.signature-theatre. org. $54-$76.
— Kristen Boghosian PLANNING AN EVENT WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT ? TELL U S . SEND LISTINGS INFORMA TION TO EVENTS@WASHINGTONP OST.COM MUSIC REVIEW
From Brooks and Dunn, honky-tonk and lots of heart
Breaking up shouldn’t be so much fun.
Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn, having amicably called it quits after nearly 20 years as pillars of mainstream country music, brought their “Last Rodeo” tour to Jiffy Lube Live Sunday night, with the requisite provision of hit songs (“My Maria,” “Boot Scootin’ Boogie,” “Ain’t Nothing ’Bout You,” among a truckload of others).
Also along for the sunset ride: a set of mechanically bobbing longhorns and a giant new tattoo. Dunn revealed the lat- ter (“COWBOY” in black block letters) on his forearm — a sorrowful compen- sation, he amusingly explained, for a decades-long lack of hat. Who’s to say whether the ink was real; the audience’s affection for the best-selling duo sure was. There was no sign of concert-industry ticket woes at a jampacked Lube, indicating no hard feelings over a postponement in June
that gave Dunn’s pipes a doctor-ordered spell.
Brooks and Dunn led with a cluster of rowdy honky-tonk rock (“Play Some- thing Country,” “You Can’t Take the Honky Tonk Out of the Girl,” “Mama Don’t Get Dressed Up for Nothing”) be- fore settling into the Eagles-like ballad- ry of “You’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone” and “Neon Moon.”
Dunn channeled his best Solomon
Burke for the stirring country-gospel of “Believe,” which was followed, in the quintessentially American fashion of in- termingling spirituality and sexuality, by “She Likes to Get Out of Town” and its accompanying video of a dancing girl with red lipstick and exposed midriff. Received as enthusiastically as the headliners were four U.S. servicemen, representing each major branch of the military, standing at attention during “Only in America.”
—Scott Galupo
Dear Readers: Nancy from Fredericksburg recently sent me a yellowed newspaper clipping of a recipe my mother, the original Heloise, printed in 1962. Boy, did it bring back some memories for me of a tasty pot roast on Sundays and yummy sandwiches the next day! Here is “Heloise Peking Roast” in Mother’s voice: We were staying at a little Chinese hotel which served the most delicious roast beef that I had ever put in my mouth. One night the cook revealed his secret: coffee. Take any cut of beef about 3 to 5 pounds. Use a large knife to cut slits completely through the meat. Insert slivers of garlic down into the slits. Those who do not like garlic can use onions instead. Both may be used. Pour 1 cup of vinegar over the meat and make sure it runs down into the little slits where the garlic and onion buds have been placed. Put this in your refrigerator for 24 to 48 hours. When ready to cook, place in a big, heavy pot (iron, if possible) and brown in oil until nearly burned on all sides. Pour 2 cups of strong (brewed) black
1962 roast recipe is an eye-opener HINTS FROM HELOISE
coffee over the meat. Add 2 cups of water and cover. Simmer on top of the stove for four to six hours. Season with salt and pepper 20 minutes before serving time. That’s all there is to it.
Another thing, if you cook your roast too fast or the lid is not tight enough, you may need some additional water. This does not change the taste of your roast. However, don’t let the roast swim as if
it were a whale in the Pacific! Never add more than 1 cup of water at a time after the mixture begins to boil down. This recipe is so delicious that you could serve it to the Queen of England if she should walk into your dining room right now. Now that’s my mother’s voice and her one-of-a-kind recipe!
Dear Heloise: When I buy those large plastic
containers of lettuce at a warehouse club, I wash them out after I’m finished with them. Every year at the holidays, when I
make hundreds of holiday cookies for family and friends, these salad containers make great storage containers for my cookies. I also feel like I’m recycling the plastics, and I don’t have to spend money or waste more storage
space on huge pieces of plasticware. Sue in Cypress, Calif.
Dear Heloise: I live in Florida, and we have high
humidity. When I open a bag of lemon drops, they become sticky in a few days. I sprinkle some powdered sugar over them, and no more sticky lemon drops. They also taste good.
Bernard C., Bonita Springs, Fla.
What a good hint, Bernard! This would work for any hard candy that becomes sticky.
Send a hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Tex. 78279-5000, fax it to 210-HELOISE or e-mail it to
Heloise@Heloise.com. Please include your city and state. © 2010, King Features Syndicate
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