Volume 8 Issue 3
MAY/JUNE 2017 $5.00
H O S T I L E C L I M AT E
R E V I TA L I Z AT I O N
Halifax’s Macdonald Bridge undergoes significant repairs “The Big Lift,” a $200 million project, requires plenty of crane power M AT T J O N E S
ehabilitating “the old bridge” connecting Halifax and Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, is such a huge undertaking that it has earned the nickname “The Big Lift.” Befitting that title, the $200 million project to refurbish the Angus L. Macdonald Bridge, a suspension bridge erected in 1955, has required the lifting power of several cranes. “Our rentals came from local outfits like A.W. Leil, Irving, and All Canada,” said John Callaghan, project manager with the American Bridge Canada Company, or ABCC, the general contractor on the project. A.W. Leil provided ABCC with a Grove Yard Boss Carry Deck, a Grove RT 540 and a Grove TMS 9000E. Two big crawler cranes were utilized — a Liebherr LR-1400 provided by Irving and a Manitowoc 16000 from All Canada. A second Manitowoc 16000, owned by Cherubini
Photo courtesy of Halifax Harbour Bridges
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Macdonald Bridge project marks only the second time a span on a suspension bridge has been replaced while the bridge was open to traffic during the day.
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CHALLENGES
Canada’s tallest crane renovates Montreal’s Olympic Stadium Multiple cranes involved in project M AT T J O N E S
Gusts on windiest day reach 150 kilometres an hour Terex SL3800 crawler boom extends over Exshaw cement plant during expansion project. Photo courtesy of Mammoet Canada Western
S AU L C H E R N O S
hat’s a crane operator to do when winds exceed hurricane speeds at a mostly outdoor job site? At an expansion of Lafarge Canada’s Exshaw cement production plant in the heart of the Rockies just east of Canmore, Alberta, the answer was clear — shut down and wait for conditions to improve. The plant dates back to 1906, and project planners set out to modernize the facility and boost manufacturing capacity by 60 per cent. Cranes were front-and-centre to the project, which was completed last year. While a cornerstone of the work involved replacing aging cement kiln technology with a more modern, efficient system, there were also numerous heavy lifts. Mammoet Canada Western supplied the hoisting equipment, with the centrepiece a Mammoet SL3800 Terex crawler featuring 715 metric tonnes capacity to assemble and install a 133-metre-tall steel preheater. Mammoet’s crane supervisor, Scott Adam, says his team employed three separate crane configurations starting at 66 metres for the main boom and a 24-metre luff, as well as a 78-metre boom and 60-metre luff, and a 90-metre boom and 84-metre luff.
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n 2018, more than 1,000 employees of Desjardins, North America’s largest association of credit unions, will be setting up their new shop in the tower of Montreal’s Olympic Stadium. Before they can move in, however, the tower will require surface renovations. And performing renovations that high up in the air will require the use of a giant Liebherr 630 EC-H H 20/40 Litronic tower crane. The crane, along with a Liebherr 710 HC-L, will be used for the next two years to maneuver workers around the sides of the tower so they can perform their tasks. “The building is a beast,” said Mark Forbes, Morrow Equipment’s branch manager for Canadian operations. “I think that’s the best word to use for it. There are many different construction processes and elements in the building that led to it being a
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Look waaaaaaaay up. As the massive Liebherr 630 EC-H looms in the background, a Liebherr 1500-8.1 (right) constructs the Liebherr 710 HC-L on the spine of the Montreal Olympic Stadium. Photo courtesy of Morrow Equipment
Cranes weather Alberta winds at Exshaw cement plant upgrade
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