Cranes connect communities with new pedestrian bridge in Ohio township

Yellow Creek, a tributary of the Cuyahoga River, runs through Copley, Ohio, a small township near Akron. The creek effectively divided two communities; that is, until the developer of one decided to build a bridge. In September 2016, a large-capacity all-terrain crane from ALL Erection & Crane Rental Corp. was brought in to lift and install a 160-ft-long, 8-ft-wide pedestrian bridge to span Yellow Creek. The $500,000 project was driven by township trustees and funded by homebuilders Pulte Homes.

Pulte, the developer of a planned community in Copley called The Preserve at Miller Farm, wanted to connect it and its tree-lined trails to a neighboring subdivision, Creekside Estates. Once installed, the bridge would make Miller Farm’s 2 miles of trails accessible to Creekside residents, encouraging walkers, joggers, and bikers from both developments to share and enjoy the natural beauty. Miller Farm’s trails also connect to a third subdivision, Swan Lake, so installation of the bridge would be beneficial to a large group of residents.

ALL was chosen by the project’s subcontractor, Fechko Excavating, to supply a 550-USt Grove GMK7550 all-terrain crane for the job, along with one of ALL’s experienced operators. Fechko has often collaborated with ALL and knew the multi-branch company would be able to provide the right crane and crew for the project.

To handle the lifting and setting of the 156,000-lb steel bridge, the GMK7550 was equipped with 147 ft of main boom, including the crane’s MegaWingLift attachment to increase lifting capacity, and 352,000 lb of counterweight. In a single day, the Grove AT, working at a 120-ft radius, carefully lifted and swung the bridge and set it into position 30 ft above Yellow Creek.

The 7550 is one of Grove’s largest AT cranes, yet it also offers excellent mobility and available boom launchers to speed assembly. This makes it the perfect crane for building bridges and highways, energy industry work, and other general construction jobs. It is a popular machine with customers, so ALL keeps almost a dozen in the company’s fleet available to go wherever they are needed.

ALL cranes can be found on large construction projects requiring dozens of cranes—and on one-day, one-crane projects that can unite the residents of a small township in Ohio. ALL has not only the right lift equipment for every job, but the experience to know that even small jobs can make a big impression.