Construction pros are no strangers to heavy equipment, but two new machines working on the eastern span of the $5.5-billion San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge make most ordinary tools look like children’s toys.
Mike Flowers, project director for American Bridge/Fluor Enterprises Inc. joint venture, says he knew very early that standard construction cranes just were not up to the job, which is to build the bridge’s unique self-anchored suspension span. “When we started looking at it, we could not find anything here in the U.S. that was even remotely capable of doing what was required,” says Flowers. “The cranes on most bridge jobs might be able to pick 150 tons, and on this project we need to pick pieces that go as high as 1,300 tons.”