Wheaton redevelopment update (Photos)

The first tower crane is now assembled at the Lot 13 construction site of the future Montgomery County office building in the Wheaton Triangle. This coming weekend, the second of two cranes will arrive for installation. The north tower crane will be 405' tall. A mobile crane used to erect it will arrive Friday, and County officials say it will take the whole day to get the mobile crane set up for the weekend.

Starting Friday at 6:00 AM, and continuing through 6:00 PM Sunday, the west side of Lot 13 will close. The lot closure will allow Grandview Avenue to stay open for the weekend. Permit spaces in Lot 13 will remain open during the temporary closure.

A special excavator is currently removing soil from the site, where workers have reached the bottom of the dig. Excavation is now scheduled to be completed by the end of next week. Expect the Midcounty Services Center building to be demolished in the next two weeks, weather permitting (always a big "if" in January and February).

Horizontal piping will be installed to connect the already-installed geothermal wells, which will supply 30% of the energy used by the completed office building, according to County officials. Meanwhile, here are some scenes of the crane installation crew assembling the first tower crane: