Gorbel Jib Cranes Keep Traffic Moving on Major Bridge

United States of America -- Free-Press-Release.com-- Jun 15, 2010 -- Gorbel cranes have been successfully moving materials through factories for over 30 years, but this is the first known case of Gorbel cranes keeping traffic moving. A Gorbel Articulating Jib Crane is being used to help with maintenance on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, and using it has allowed for maintenance to continue without needing to disrupt traffic.

With a total distance of nearly five miles and at one point being named as the world's longest continuous over-water steel, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge is certainly a site to see. As a major outlet feeding the Baltimore-Washington DC metropolitan area, which serves an estimated 61,000 vehicles daily, this bridge is also quite a site to maintain.

The company behind the structure’s construction and maintenance was working on bearing retrofits along the bridge’s columns. Rather than closing down lanes for several weeks, they had installed access platforms about 20 feet beneath where the bearing retrofit would take place at two locations. The access platform was the staging area for the project, with structural steel components, tools and other hardware coming from down below. With much of that material weighing several hundred pounds, they needed a way to lift the components from the access platform to the work area.

“This particular project was unique,” said the engineering company’s Project Manager. “We used the access platform to allow us more time and keep us from closing lanes, but it meant we didn’t have a lot of room for large equipment.”

The rigging requirements prohibited any permanent impact on the existing bridge structure, and any lifting equipment would need to be small enough to have little to no effect on passing traffic. The company considered a mobile crane, but decided it was much too large and could potentially impede traffic flow. The solution came in the form of 2 Gorbel articulating jib cranes, one for each of the identical work areas. The 1000 pound capacity jib cranes have 14’ of overall span (8’ for the primary arm and 6’ for the secondary). The jib model used is a freestanding design, though it installed without a supporting column in order to flush mount on the side of the bridge. Because rigging restrictions prohibited any permanent impact on the existing structure, the jib was fixed on the edge of the bridge with squeeze plates securing it in place without penetrating the surface.

“With the jib crane, we were able to lift our materials up from the access platform, and swing them over to the bearing, which was within range of the jib,” said the Project Manager.

Although the jib crane was only in place for the two month duration of the project, it was a great fit for the job. “Even though we only used it for the two months, the cost of the jib was much better than the alternative of closed lanes. It was the right tool for the job, and exactly what we needed.”

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Contact for Interviews
Jeff McNeil, Marketing Manager
Telephone: 800-821-0086, ext. 6241
jefmcn@gorbel.com

Contact for High Res Photos, etc:
Susan Griepsma, Marketing Coordinator
Telephone: 800-821-0086, ext. 6733
suegri@gorbel.com

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Gorbel Inc.
Susan Griepsma
(800) 821-0086
http://www.gorbel.com