When the contractor was in the pre-bidding stage for creating an access ramp for the Houston area High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) System, Audis Hill, Project Estimator for Williams Brothers, asked Symons® by Dayton Superior to come up with a proposal for forming the sixty-four concrete column bents specified.

The “Y” shaped support columns consisted of stems which varied in height from 7' to 40' and width from 7' to 8'. Each corner had a 12" wide, 4" deep outward rustication which ran the full height of the column, including the tapered “Y” arms. Some of the columns were battered, but most were not. In addition, the slope of the arms changed slightly to accommodate changes in the ramp angle.

When Williams Brothers received the contract for the project, Jackie Torrez, Structural Supervisor, requested a detailed plan from Symons. The variations in the columns concerned him because he knew that they would require some custom equipment, and he wanted to keep forming costs as low as he could.

A team of Symons technical service professionals designed a forming solution that combined a minimum of custom components with standard equipment. The plan consisted of using mostly standard Max-A-Form equipment, modified Max-A-Form fillers for the rusticated surfaces, Symons Soldier Beams for support, and some ratchets and braces from other forming systems.