Lifts footbridge in Metz, France http://www.specialtransportreport.com

1. LIFTS FOOTBRIDGE IN
METZ, FRANCE
LIFTS FOOTBRIDGE IN
METZ, FRANCE
The Sarens Group, a Belgian crane and transportation service provider, recently set a steel
footbridge on its foundations for the city of Metz. By doing so, the footbridge connected the
city areas east of the river Seille to the city center, enabling both pedestrians and cyclists to
conveniently access the city’s train station, Amphitheater, and parks. In order to complete
the project, the company relied on a Terex CC 2800-1 and its powerful performance
characteristics.
Many residents of Metz made sure not to miss out on the show. On December 19th, 2011,
a large crowd gathered to watch as the Sarens Group team lifted an entire footbridge from
a lowbed trailer and then proceeded to turn the 60 meter-long (196 ft.) steel structure by 90
degrees and place it on the foundations that had already been set up – all with perfect
accuracy. Although the structure appeared to be light as a feather – the result of a style
reminiscent of the Centre Pompidou-Metz and steel beams that look as if though they had
been gracefully braided – the bridge was much heavier than it looked, weighing a full 102
tonnes (112 US tons). In fact, once the cables and hook block were added to the picture,
the load increased further to a total of 109 tonnes (120 US tons).

2. “We decided to use the Terex CC 2800-1 on this project after careful deliberation. On the
one hand, it had all the performance characteristics that were needed in order to
successfully lift the bridge. On the other hand, it was compact enough to maneuver around
the site, where space was quite tight,” explains Sarens project manager Karel Maesfrancx.
Yet another key advantage within this context: The Terex crane was also able to move with
the equipped 300-tonne (330 US ton) Superlift counterweight. “Slowly, but with laser-like
precision,” crane operator Robert Pawlowski points out. Pawlowski performed the lift with
the help of signalman Jerry Couvreur in four steps: first, he lifted the footbridge while
working with a radius of 46 meters (151 ft.), after which he proceeded to increase the
radius to 51.6 meters (169 ft.) by lowering the main boom. Once he had increased the
radius, he swung the load while deftly avoiding a lamp post that at one point came very
close to the Superlift boom, and finally moved the crane—while under load—to a position
that enabled him to set down the bridge with pinpoint accuracy.

3. Short setup time – extraordinary cost-effectiveness
Although the CC 2800-1’s technical specifications were ideal for the lift at hand, they
were not the only factor involved in the company’s decision. Budget considerations also
played a key role: after all, the fact that none of the crane’s components weigh more
than 20 tonnes (22 US tons) - with the exception of the crawler tracks - meant that
setting up the crane at the site would be a highly cost-effective process, as it would only
require a 100-tonne auxiliary crane. And what of the 45-tonne (49 US ton) crawler
tracks? Not a concern: the Terex crane itself would be able to lift them off from the
lowbed trailer. For this particular project, the CC 2800-1 came from Flamanville, which
is about 800 kilometers from Metz. “We disassembled the crane there on Monday and
then transported it to Metz. Once in Metz, three mechanics and our crane operator
reassembled it so that it was ready for operation within two days, which is even more
impressive when you consider the fact that the space conditions at the site were
extremely tight,” comments Karel Maesfrancx, who was able to hand over the bridge to
the residents of Metz on schedule thanks to a perfect combination of powerful
technology and specialized know-how.