Magic Window

When you need to place bridge beams with minimum impact on local traffic, that usually means night work. When the bridge is just three miles away from Walt Disney World, it definitely means night work … and a very short window in which to complete the work.

This was the case with a recent project along Interstate 4 in Orlando where it crosses over Central Florida Parkway. ALL Sunshine Crane Rental Corp., a member of the ALL Family of Companies, provided two all-terrain cranes to its customer, Lane Construction, to set bridge beams for the one-night operation.

There was just a five-hour window in which to complete all four dual picks. “Central Florida Parkway has to remain open until midnight to facilitate theme park traffic,” said Thomas D. Robertson, sales representative with ALL Sunshine Crane Rental Corp. “Obviously, we can’t have bridge beams swinging over an active roadway below, so that gave us our start time.” Both the roadway and I-4 had to re-open by 5 a.m.

Given that each of the four lifts was expected to take 60 to 90 minutes, the five-hour timeline was tight. Robertson said several factors worked in their favor.

First, beam maker and hauler Dura-Stress Inc., was able to stage the beams on flatbeds along I-4 near the lift zone. “The close proximity meant trucks didn’t have far to go to pick up the trailers, which reduced downtime between lifts,” said Robertson. “What might have taken two nights was now achievable in one night.”

Next, cranes were rigged to the first beam and ready to go by 11:15 p.m. (I-4 had closed at 11), so at the stroke of midnight, work began. Third, and perhaps most importantly, ALL, Lane, and Dura-Stress had been planning every move for weeks. “All lifts begin with boots on the ground,” said Robertson. “Lift day is when everything that came before it comes to fruition.”

Each beam weighed in at 80,000 pounds and measured 86 feet across. The two ATs, a 240-ton Liebherr LTM 1200-5.1 and 275-ton Liebherr LTM 1230-5.1 dual picked each beam.

Setting up the cranes came with its own demands. “Urban road and bridge projects can come with numerous inconveniences and obstructions; they’re literally part of the landscape,” said Robertson. In this case, both cranes had set up several feet below roadway-level on I-4. This required Lane Construction to cut in down-sloped channels so the equipment could reach level ground matting in the median. Also, there was a 15-foot Mechanically Stabilized Earth (MSE) retaining wall near the lift zone.

These demands became an opportunity for ALL, with its deep bench of equipment options. The setup scenario largely dictated crane positioning, which helped ALL choose best fit equipment options, both in terms of boom length and lift radius.

“The scenario created by the presence of the MSE wall had an immediate effect on the radius as its height required us to remain 18' away from the face of the MSE wall to the leading edge of the outrigger pads positioned closest to the wall, where the beams would fly over and be set,” explained Robertson.

To accommodate that, the Liebherr LTM 1230-5.1 was configured with 94 feet of boom and 103,600 pounds of counterweight and the Liebherr LTM 1200-5.1 was configured with 88 feet of boom and 114,700 pounds of counterweight. Both units were picking at a lift radius between 50 and 55 feet.

We were fortunate that, because both cranes were far enough from the center of the beam’s landing zone, the operators didn’t have to do any unusual maneuvering. They held their ends on their radius and flew in the beams. The radius to pick from the road was farther than the setting, so the chart actually increased in capacity the closer they got to their set points.”

In the end, careful coordination and preparation made the difference. With crews from ALL Sunshine Crane Rental Corp., Lane Construction, and Dura-Stress working in sync, each beam was lifted and set safely within the narrow overnight window. By the early morning hours, all four beams were in place and the roadways reopened on schedule, just as commuters and theme park traffic began to return. The operation demonstrated how detailed planning, the right equipment, and experienced crews can turn even the tightest construction timelines into smooth and successful lifts.

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.