Owned by Massman Construction, the lead contractor on the joint venture responsible for the bridge’s construction, the 350t crane has been adapted for use as a pedestal crane and fixed to a 93ft x 195ft river barge.
Massman Construction will use the crane to lift the rebar cages needed to form the foundations of the two 406ft pylons that will support the completed bridge.
During the project, the crane will position more than 70 of the preassembled rebar cages, which weigh between 22.5USt and 50USt, and is configured with 325ft of main boom along with a 60ft jib for the job.
Massman Construction project manager for the Mississippi River Bridge project, Dave Helmig, said: “The Manitowoc 7000 saves us time. There would be no way we could meet the schedule without preassembling these rebar cages.”
Evansville, Indiana-based contractors Traylor Brother and Alberici Constructors of St. Louis make up the other two firms in the joint venture, and together with some other Manitowoc cranes, the Manitowoc 7000 will assist in construction of the main bridge sections, lifting 50ft-long span sections weighing 100USt each.
For this task in the later stages of the project, the crane will be reconfigured with 400ft of main boom and a 60ft jib to achieve a tip height of 460ft.