Customer

Bigge Crane and Rigging and Kiewit/Skanska Joint Venture

Location

New York City, NY

Products

HSL50006 Strand Jack

Challenge

The Kosciuszko Bridge is actually two bridges that span Newtown Creek between the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. Opened in 1939, the 6,000-foot truss bridge is part of Interstate 278, and is known locally as the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. The bridge is named for Tadeusz Kosciuszko, a Polish volunteer who served as a general in the American Revolutionary War. Unfortunately, the bridge also is known as a notorious - and perhaps the worst - bridge for bottlenecks in New York City.

To reduce congestion and traffic delays, and increase traffic capacity, the New York State Department of Transportation is spending $554 million to replace the aging truss bridge with a majestic cable-stayed bridge. The new bridge began accommodating two-way traffic in early 2017, and demolition of the old spans will begin in summer 2017

Solution

Bigge Crane and Rigging was selected to supply the equipment to remove the largest span, which is 125 feet high, and 300 feet in length. To safely meet the aggressive demolition schedule, a joint venture of Kiewit/Skanska will use Enerpac Heavy Strand Lift (HSL) 50006 strand jacks to lower the span. Enerpac HSL 50006 strand jacks have 500 metric ton capacity, and operate in sets of four. To ensure the demolition schedule is met, a set of eight strand jacks will be employed. The rest of the spans will be imploded in July, 2017.

Truss demolition will require building strong lifting points on the existing structure. The largest span will be supported via strand jacks before being cut, lowered to the ground and dismantled. The HSL 50006 strand jacks feature a sophisticated, proven software program that enhances safety by synchronizing the motion of the strand jacks and adjusting the motion to the loads per lifting point. A trusted and proven technology, approximately 2,000 Enerpac strand jack systems are in operation globally.

Headquartered in San Leandro, Calif., Bigge Crane and Rigging Company celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2016 as one of America’s premier crane sales, crane rental and project services companies. Bigge also is an official Enerpac dealer, and currently owns and maintains one of the largest inventories of new and used cranes for sale in the U.S. and globally.

"Bigge is an excellent partner for Enerpac, and is unique among dealers because they can also operate the equipment they sell," said Mike Beres, Americas Sales Leader for Enerpac Heavy Equipment Technology. "Bigge provides their customers with onsite support, after-sale service and equipment maintenance. They also have extensive expertise in heavy lifting." Enerpac delivered the strand jacks in March, 2017 and provided training and support for two Kiewit/Skanska operators in April. The Enerpac/Bigge team will also provide on-site support during equipment set up at the Kosciuszko Bridge, and when the span is lowered in June, 2017.

After analyzing the existing structure to determine its strong spots, Kiewit/Skanska will execute the large pick using the Enerpac strand jacks. Taking the large span down and dismantling it on the ground will be much faster and safer than performing these tasks at elevation. "Most of the Kosciuszko Bridge is over land, and due to the number of offices underneath the bridge, there’s not a lot of room to maneuver," said Beres. "We’re confident with the equipment chosen, and Kiewit/Skanska has the equipment and heavy lifting experience necessary to safely and efficiently remove the span and keep the project on schedule."