US-based construction company A.W.A. Contracting (AWA) has concluded initial foundation operations at a 4,700-acre master-planned development project situated along the US 1 corridor in northern Palm Coast, Florida.
The company deployed a Link-Belt Cranes TCC-800 telescopic crawler crane, obtained on hire from local distributor Kelly Tractor, to lift a total of 270 sheet piles, each weighing 14,000lb.
The groundwork is part of a larger endeavour that has secured permits for nearly 5,000 residential units.
The construction site spans across a substantial area between existing pine woodlands and includes an 88ft-long bridge designed to link different sections of the growing development.
The TCC-800 transported the sheet piles from the loading yard to a pile driving machine, enabling their installation within the foundation work.
Link-Belt’s TCC-800, rated at 80t, is fitted with a 120.1ft fully telescopic boom, which operators extend to handle sheets of various sizes.
Its Pulse 2.0 system provides a 10in touchscreen display, allowing precise winch control for the handling of materials.
AWA owner and president Artie Allen said: “The sheet piling we drove for this project ranged from 56 to 69 feet. The Link‑Belt fed an ABI pile driving machine that drove the piling down to a 56‑foot depth from ground level.”
“We demucked about 13ft of topsoil and laid sand back down to convert this lower plane to a stabilised area for driving pile and eventually the road network that will form this neighbourhood.
“We rented the crane initially for six weeks, but the production was such that we cut it down to a month. This won’t be the last time we use one of these Link-Belts. I will get another one for the next job like this.”
AWA operates from St. Augustine, Florida, and performed the foundation contract utilising both crane and piling installation equipment as part of the project’s preliminary phase.
In August 2025, MEI Industrial Solutions deployed the first Link-Belt Cranes 300t 300|AT all terrain crane for field operations after receiving it from distributor Link-Belt Mid-Atlantic.
