Global heavy lifting specialist, Sarens, has completed the relocation of the Monument of the Combatants of Haute-Garron in Toulouse.
The Monument, a large memorial commemorating all those who fought in the two world wars, was constructed between 1920 and 1928 and represents a significant historic artefact, however needed to be moved to make way for the construction of a new metro station below. Thus, Sarens decided against disassembling the memorial by crane, as its materials and construction were too fragile for such operations, emphasising the delicate nature of the task ahead of the heavy lifting specialist.
To relocate the Monument of the Combatants, Sarens opted to use a 3×19 SPMT axle line solution, fitting three powerpacks. The client had built a special frame around the memorial that enabled it to be jacked up and transported, with the load ultimately weighing in at 1460 metric tonnes and measuring in at 16m x 11m x 18m.
The onsite crew had to work under very demanding circumstances; first, there was very limited space for the SPMTs, so powerpacks had to be put on the Kamags. Because a 3×20 axle line could not fit and a 3×18 was unable to take the load, the crew chose a 3×19 axle line with three powerpacks. As the operation progressed, the memorial had to constantly be monitored for horizontality and cracks during pick-up, transport, and drop-off. Further complicating matters was the presence of the metro tunnel beneath the operation, which also needed to be monitored for cracks due to the heavy load.
Moving the Monument of the Combatants of Haute-Garron was going to be a big deal for Toulouse, so Sarens ensured test lifts were completed prior to the actual operation to ensure everything ran smoothly. Furthermore, additional Kamag hydraulic hoses were also kept on standby in case of failure of one of the powerpacks.
The memorial was ultimately shifted 40m down the road, where it will stay until 2028 when the metro station is expected to be completed.
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