Parts of one of the largest cranes in the world will be arriving in Syracuse early tomorrow morning as the next phase of steel installation gets underway for the new Carrier Dome roof. Vice President and Chief Campus Facilities Officer Pete Sala updated the project Monday.
He says the cab and tracks will be placed on a reinforced pad in front of the Dome to hold the massive machine.
"It will take weeks for us to assemble that crane. There's probably another 60 tractor trailer loads of crane parts yet to arrive in Syracuse. It's a total of 85 to 87 loads. It's an 1,100 ton crane. The boom is 580 feet in height."
Sala says other cranes are needed to assemble this crane. That will require the closure of Irving Ave near the Dome, and the entrance to SUNY ESF until about mid-August. Meanwhile, other large cranes have been working to install what’s called “X” bracing on the four corners of the dome to support the main crown truss, which will be the job of the Liebherr crane…
"The crane is sensored from Germany, from the factory. They can watch every pick that we make via GPS. We're being very conservative with the safety capacity of the crane, so we don't make a pick typically over 75 to 80 percent of the capacity of the crane."
He says that's important considering the tight quarters they're working with. Sala says another 800 foot crane already on site will work with this crane to help place the final pieces of steel in the center of the crown truss. All of the steel trusses should be in place by late January, at which time the massive crane will be disassembled. Meanwhile, Sala says football fans will notice some changes in entering the dome where the work is being done. He expects the roof will be in place by this time next summer.
