Alta Customer Improving Michigan Roads with New 228 HSL

Lexington, KY – Dan’s Excavating, Inc. (Dan’s Excavating) of Shelby Charter Township, Michigan purchased three 130-ton (117.9-mt) 228 HSLs and one 200-ton (182-mt) 248 HSL lattice crawler crane to join its existing fleet of Link-Belt cranes for the Interstate 75 (I-75) Modernization Project in Oakland County, as well as several other ongoing road and bridge projects in the area. Ryan Sebero, Crane Specialist at Alta Equipment, approached Equipment Operations Manager, Irv Rupersburg, with a value proposition for the 228 HSL he could not turn down.

“We did our own comparison between the 228 HSL and others. We looked at the crane’s parameters for a 50 – 60 ft. (15.2 – 18.2 m) working radius, with the crane boom being about 120 to 130 ft. (36.5 – 39.6 m) long. We knew we would be lifting between 50,000 and 80,000 lbs. (22 679 – 36 287 kg) and found the 228 HSL chart outperforming others in the field. Our common beams may be 86 to 100 ft. (26.2 – 30.4 m) in length. We needed that size crane for other reasons too, like the pump station work we do throughout the metro-Detroit area,” said Rupersburg.

Infrastructure spending on Michigan roads is near an all-time high. For fiscal year 2015-2016, spending was up $171 million to $3.8 billion. Fiscal year 2017 is on a similar projection with the new Interstate 75 Modernization Project set to upgrade and improve a highly trafficked area that accommodates nearly 23,000 businesses within a 9 square mile area in the Detroit suburbs.

The first of eight segments of the I-75 Modernization Project for Oakland County is 2.69 miles in length, and will include an HOV/general lane in both directions and an extensive reconfiguration of the Square Lake Road interchange.

Adams Road, part of Segment 1, includes eight bridge crossings each up to 144 ft. (43.8 m) in length. The smaller bridges are common throughout the state and are preferred over a longer sub-contracted fly-over bridge. Confined access and multiple short crossings confirm Rupersburg’s belief that the 228 HSL was the ideal crane for the job.

228 HSL operator, Bart Fraser tandem hoists nine 86 ft. (26.2) pre-stressed concrete bulb-tee beams with another 120-ton lattice crawler crane. With 135 ft. (41.1 m) of boom, and using 4-part line, the 228 HSL picks and swings 45 degrees while walking to the pier placement with just one foot clearance on each side of the tracks between the pier and concrete barricades. Then, shorter tail spans, measuring 45 ft. (13.7 m) long and 33,000 lbs. (14 968 kg) each are lifted and placed at a 50 ft. (15.2 m) radius.

“Moving up to the 228HSL, I do have to disassemble them, but it moves easily and that is one of our main focuses. We move our cranes around a lot, even on the same project, so mobility is very important to us,” said Rupersburg.

The 248 HSL along with a 248 Hylab 5, are busy placing longer 144 ft. (43.8 m) beams for the bridge widening at Square Lake Road – both cranes rigged with 4-part line. The heaviest beams come in at 73,000 lbs. (33 112 kg) lifted at only a 33 ft. (10 m) radius with both cranes working on top of an abutment lowering the 6 ft. (1.8 m) tall girder.

Another 228 HSL is working on the state of Michigan’s first FlexRoute project, which requires tear down and replacement of seven bridges on US 23 for an eight mile stretch. The road will be widened by 13 ft. (3.9 m), adding an additional lane to the current two going in each direction with the FlexRoute lane added in and used intermittently as traffic and congestion dictate. The system is a less expensive alternative to adding a full additional lane and shoulder since it ties into existing infrastructure.

Source: https://www.linkbelt.com/article/17_11_13_dans-exc...