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Posted on Fri, Oct. 23, 2009 10:07 AM
Huge visitor to take up residence in river in KC
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A steel beast that will become a temporary addition to Kansas City’s skyline began the last leg of its month-long journey Thursday.
Crawling along at 3 mph, a rare inland waterway crane that will rival the size of many downtown buildings started its 366-mile trip up the Missouri River to Kansas City.
The massive crane, which has moved more than 5,700 miles from the Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands through Houston and into St. Louis, is expected to arrive here Monday where it will be employed on the $245 million Paseo Bridge project.
The Missouri highway department needs the massive crane to build the upper section of a diamond-shaped pylon that will carry Interstate 29/35 across the Missouri River.
When completed, the bridge’s pylon will rise 316 feet out of the river. Cranes at the project site are now being pushed to their limit since the pylon is now at 215 feet.
The visiting crane will arrive disassembled on specially fabricated barges. Capable of extending up to 380 feet, it won’t overshadow One Kansas City Place, the city’s tallest building at 632 feet. But it will be a substantial addition to the skyline — on par with 443-foot tall City Hall.
It’s so tall the highway department will need approval from federal aviation authorities because of its proximity to the Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport.
Highway officials say this size crane is rare for an inland project. They say it’s more typical to use this size crane at ports or coastal projects.
Its sister crane was used to build bridges across Lake Pontchartrain outside New Orleans, for instance.
To reach Brad Cooper, call 816-234-7724 or send e-mail to bcooper@kcstar.com
Posted on Fri, Oct. 23, 2009 10:07 AM
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