WCI Steel Inc. has contracted Kirila Contractors Inc. of Youngstown, OH, to build a cell to landfill waste from WCI’s blast furnace.

The first stage of the four-phase project for Kirila is expected to be completed ahead of schedule at the end of January, instead of the originally scheduled June completion date.

Phase I is estimated to cost $5 million, with the first four phases totaling $20 million.

About 20 of Kirila’s union workers have been working five, 10-hour days each week to get the project ahead of schedule.

The entire project will eventually include seven cells, with construction of the second portion expected to begin about a year and a half after the first four phases begin to reach full capacity.

Bill Kirila, owner of Kirila Contractors Inc., said the project has gone very smoothly. Rain in the past month or so did cause some delays, but overall the project is still ahead of schedule.

“We are ahead of time and will be done with phase one in January when the original schedule called for June.”

To move the more than 100,000 tons (90,000 t) of clay, sand and other debris, Kirila rented four Moxy MT 36 trucks from Columbus Equipment Co., Richfield, OH.

Also being used on the job is a Case bulldozer, a Kobelco excavator and a Cat bulldozer, along with other smaller Cat equipment for assorted tasks.

Kevin McCann of Moxy Trucks, Cincinnati, OH, said Kirila chose the Moxy MT 36 because of the rugged environment the trucks would be working in and the good ground contact the tires have on the MT 36. He added that these trucks offer the traction necessary for working in the landfill cell.

Features of the truck that made the equipment fit well with the project include a 36-ton (32.4 t) payload, a Scania DSI diesel engine and constant six-wheel drive, McCann said.

Jim Iudiciani of Columbus Equipment Co. said the relationship between Kirila, Moxy and Columbus Equipment has worked out very well with the job. Everyone was easy to work with and the job has gone very smoothly so far.

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