Two mobile cranes have been called in to remove a pedestrian bridge connecting the halls of the old Trade Fair Centre in Rimini, Italy, soon to be demolished to make way for a modern conference centre and auditorium.
The cranes (a five-axle Liebherr LTM 1160/2 with a 160t lifting capacity and a six-axle Krupp KMK 6180 with a 180t lifting capacity) were supplied by Fulvi SaS and Nigro respectively, both member companies of Ravenna’s Consar co-operative, as was the Moschini demolition crew, responsible for the entire demolition project.
Lift supervisor Maurizio Fulvi explained the problems involved: “As the bridge was built over 25 years ago, there were no records of its precise weight, so an estimate was made by the owners (Rimini Fiera) and Consar, based on the materiel used for its construction. Before carrying out the actual lift, it was decided to have a “safety cut” done by the demolition team, detaching the bridge from the buildings on either side and from its support columns, in order for the Krupp to use its load cell to measure the effective weight before proceeding.”
After seeing that the total weight was 75t (10 more than estimated) to avoid damaging roadside trees, the bridge was lifted, then one end lowered to the ground, leaving the Krupp to hold it at an angle of 45 degrees, while the Liebherr moved further back, enabling the bridge to be raised again and swung round over the trees into the car park alongside, where the demolition crew finished dismantling it for transport.
