July 8 - Two Manitowoc MLC650 crawler cranes are currently working on a project to replace the Champlain Bridge, which spans the Saint Lawrence River in Montreal, Canada.
Manitowoc claims that the capacity and reduced ground preparation made possible by the MLC650's VPC-MAX attachment are helping the construction company - Signature on the Saint Lawrence Construction (SSLC) - to stay on schedule.
The VPC-MAX attachment raises the crawler cranes' maximum capacity from 650 tonnes to almost 700 tonnes.
The cranes are currently tasked with lifting 200-tonne steel girders for the bridge's east approach. They will then be employed to lift 80-tonne precast concrete sections to construct the cable-stay bridge pylon, before erecting the 400-tonne lower cross beam in a tandem lift.
On completion of the cross beam installation, the two MLC650 models will be used to construct temporary support towers and erect 200-tonne pier caps and additional girder.
The bridge installation project is on track for completion by December 2018.
