Four Manitowoc-owned Potain MCT 385 topless tower cranes have nearly completed their work on the tallest cable-stayed bridge in India.
Purchased by contractor Afcons, the tower cranes helped build the bridge to form a crucial part of the US$800 million Pune-Mumbai Missing Link project.
The four tower cranes arrived on site in 2021 and, since their assembly, have been working on the 13.3-kilometre link which has broken several world records already. These include a record for the widest twin tunnels, which span 47 metres over 10 lanes.
The two tunnels are separated by a 650-metre gap in the scenic Tiger Valley, which required the construction of a bridge with parallel piers standing at a height of 170 metres. These support the road deck approximately 100 metres above the valley floor, in tandem with four pylons averaging 132 metres in height and reaching a maximum of 182 metres.
“We’ve had a relationship with Manitowoc for many years, so we know we can count on Potain cranes for all of our infrastructure work,” said Amol Kulkarni, assistant general manager of procurement at Afcons.
Thanks to their light weight and easy transportability, the slewing section of the cranes required only seven truckloads to transport to the site, heavily reducing the difficulty of travelling down windy and congested roads at a remote jobsite. Each crane was initially assembled on the valley floor to a height of 60 metres before being climbed to their final working height of 181 metres.
The four Potain MCT 385 topless tower cranes were configured with jibs up to 50 metres long, capable of handling loads up to 5.4 tonnes, for the duration of the project. At their maximum capacity, the tower cranes can lift 20 tonnes at a 17-metre working radius.
“Our reputation hinged on the successful outcome of this project, so Manitowoc was very helpful in ensuring we selected the right cranes to meet the technical and commercial requirements,” said Kulkarni. “And, of course, we knew we could rely on the excellent Potain service team to quickly resolve any issues and provide technical help.”
The project is expected to officially open in January 2025, reducing travel distance by six kilometres and travel time by around 25 minutes.
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