Reaching the goal in tandem

Using not one but two major crawler cranes for a bridge replacement is not a very common sight. Having two LR 11000s operating on a single bridge in Pennsylvania, United States, is worth taking a closer look at this North American infrastructure project.

Hawk Falls is maybe better known to outdoor adventure seekers than to the readership of our UpLoad magazine, offering a great hiking and biking trail system in Eastern Pennsylvania. Driving from New York City to Pittsburgh, Hawk Falls is located on Interstate 80. This is a very important road leading from New York through

Pennsylvania to Cleveland and the Great Lakes area. In the rather tranquil area of Hawk Falls, two Liebherr LR 11000 crawler cranes, owned by Buckner HeavyLift Cranes are working simultaneously on a major bridge replacement, changing the quiet landscape into a stunning industrial engineering sight. The entire bridge replacement is done by the Trumbull Corporation.

Facts and figures

But first, let’s go through some figures about the new bridge and project site: The overall length of the new steel arch bridge will be 200 metres (720 ft). The two large crawler cranes will install a 142 metre (465 ft) steel arch span as well as two 18 metre (60 ft) I-girder spans. The new steel structure will at the end stretch over the 73 (240 ft) deep ravine and will carry the turnpike’s Northeast extension (I-496) over Mud Run in Carbon County, Pennsylvania. The huge extension project also includes a single-span steel girder bridge crossing Hickory Run Road. For such a large scale and complex project, the right cranes play an important role.

“Buckner has strategically expanded its fleet of Liebherr LR 11000 crawler cranes to over 30 units in the past decade. The recent surge in demand for higher capacity cranes underscores the LR 11000’s exceptional versatility, positioning it as the ideal solution to address the ever-changing demands of the infrastructure sector, particularly in areas like bridge construction,” said Brian Miller Vice President of Sales, Buckner.

Due to the size and complexity of this bridge replacement, the project team faced a variety of challenges throughout the duration of the project. As both LR 11000 crawler cranes are working simultaneously to complete the installation in a timely manner, there is a limited work area to deliver, prepare and erect the structural steel elements. Once the middle piece is in place and the cranes begin lowering the bridge into position, there is only 0,6 centimetres (¼“) tolerance for positioning the beams. This area of Pennsylvania also has varying weather throughout the year, and the ambient temperature has to be a specific degree in order to keep all the plates from expanding and contracting. Additionally, a ravine runs beneath the bridge replacement causing difficult site access to construct temporary shoring towers as well as environmental constraints with the Pennsylvania park service.

“But with its adaptable boom configurations and heavy lift attachments, the Liebherr LR 11000 seamlessly complements Buckner HeavyLift Cranes’ extensive fleet, embodying a comprehensive solution bolstered by our highly skilled professionals, our collaborative culture, and an industry-leading commitment to safety, which all are highly important points for such a project,” said Miller.

The LR 11000 crawler crane was presented to the North American market approximately 10 years ago and can cover a wide range of jobs with its various boom versions including port handling, industrial construction, infrastructure, or wind power. The crane’s design is also perfect for constricted areas, such as refineries. The crawler crane is designed for a transport width of 3.5 metre (11.5 ft) and a transport height of 3.2 metre (10.5 ft) ensuring easy manoeuvrability and fast transportation all over the globe.

“The LR 11000 is an extremely flexible crane when equipped with the derrick and ballast tray, allowing for infinitely variable ballast radius for complex lifts. In the case of this project at Hawk Falls, the long luffing jibs allow for a very large lift radius on the jobsite where cranes cannot get closer to their final lift location,” said Jim Jatho, Liebherr USA, Co. Product Manager of lattice boom crawler cranes. “As is normal for Liebherr cranes, the lightweight lattice sections can be slid into the larger sections saving both space and money. Additionally, special wind power configurations for turbines, blades and tower segments all over the globe deliver unique lifting capacities in this crane class.”

This article was published in the UpLoad magazine 01 | 2024.