This is a Hold Up

Demolition is often part of the construction process – sometimes, you have to first take down what’s already there before you can build something new in its place. But not all demolition projects are the same. A unique demo recently took place for the State Route 88 bridge over the Ohio Turnpike in Portage County. A previous rehab project resulted in a situation where two cranes now had to hold a concrete support beam aloft so ironworkers could separate the existing steel support structure from the beam.

More than three decades ago, the Ohio Turnpike expanded to three lanes each way. As a result, the SR 88 overpass was extended so it would go over the newly widened roadway below. At that time, contractors used a concrete post-tension cross beam to support a newly constructed center bridge span. Fast-forward to 2025, and it’s now time to take down the entire SR 88 bridge and build a brand new one in its place. But first, this post-tension cross beam would require special consideration for its removal.

ALL Erection & Crane Rental, flagship branch of the ALL Family of Companies, provided two all-terrain cranes for the project. J.D. Williamson Construction was ALL’s customer and the general contractor on the job. Brian Meek, project manager with ALL, credits the advanced work done by the J.D. Williamson team with making clear the kinds of heavy lift equipment needed for the job.

“This project was unusual not only because of the need for cranes to hold the post-tension cross beam during extraction,” said Meek. “But also because the geography of the job site meant that the two cranes could only set up in specific, limited locations.” Because of this, ALL turned to its vast fleet to source precisely the right cranes for the job. The two cranes specified were a Liebherr LTM 1160-5.2 with 190-ton capacity and a Liebherr LTM 1230-5.1 with 275-ton capacity.

The bridge decking was removed prior so the boom of the Liebherr LTM 1160-5.2 could fit between the remaining bridge girders; its cable dropped down and rigged to the post-tension cross beam. This crane was assembled a few hundred feet away from the work zone, had its counterweight added, and then was driven into position under the bridge girders with the boom down at zero degrees. In its final position, the crane was tucked under the cross beam right between two girder lines. There was a steel beam directly over the crane cab.

“The LTM 1160 is the only crane in its class that could do that,” said Meek. “There was just no room to position the crane in a conventional manner, extend the outrigger then install the counterweight.”

The Liebherr LTM 1230-5.1 was chosen because of Liebherr’s Variobase system, in which each outrigger can be extended to a unique position. This was necessary due to the location of underground utilities at the site. Crane selection was further dictated by the need to compensate for some nearby overhead obstructions and a median wall.

Each crane took on half of the post-tension cross beam’s 210,000-pound weight and held it for approximately three hours as J.D. Williamson’s crews removed the steel structure from the beam. The two beams were removed on two successive nights.

“Everything on this job had to be exacting and precise,” said Meek. “The crane had to be spotted within inches.”

Because of this high degree of precision, ALL wanted operator Mike Herbold in the seat of the Liebherr LTM 1160-5.2. He is highly experienced on the machine and well-versed in the maneuvers necessary to get into position so tightly under the bridge and then “thread the needle” between the girders. In a final twist to this already remarkable job, upon arrival at the site, Herbold realized that his late father, a former ironworker, had helped construct the original bridge.

About ALL

^{The ALL Family of Companies is the largest privately held crane rental and sales operation in North America, operating under the ALL, ALT, Central, Dawes, and Jeffers names. For a rental quote: 800-232-4100 or www.allcrane.com.}