Skip to main content

Project underway for Chinese bridge

Potain tower cranes are being used to construct a major cable-stayed bridge in China. The conditions are tough and feature high winds and monsoon conditions, with the cranes working at an altitude of 1,500m above sea level in a mountain range in southern China to build the Duge Beipanjiang Bridge, which will span 720m when it is complete The job is requiring six Potain tower cranes in total during the course of the US$92.75 million (570 million RMB) project. Two cranes have been erected at the job site a
May 15, 2014 Read time: 3 mins
The cranes are having to contend with tough operating conditions
Potain tower cranes are being used to construct a major cable-stayed bridge in China. The conditions are tough and feature high winds and monsoon conditions, with the cranes working at an altitude of 1,500m above sea level in a mountain range in southern China to build the Duge Beipanjiang Bridge, which will Span 720m when it is complete

The job is requiring six 5916 Potain tower cranes in Total during the course of the US$92.75 million (570 million RMB) project. Two cranes have been erected at the job site and are working on the bridge’s main pylons on either side of the Beipanjiang Canyon. The four other Potain cranes are due to be installed over the coming months and all of the cranes will work at the site for four years. The cranes will climb to final working heights of up to 290m to complete the project.
Liupanshui Shengsheng Construction Equipment Leasing owns the Potain MCT 370 cranes. The Potain cranes at the Duge Beipanjiang Bridge project were transported more than 2,000km from Potain’s facility in Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu province, to the job site, much of it along narrow and winding roads. Now, the equipment has to cope with the monsoon climate, which fluctuates from freezing temperatures, high winds and snow through to drought and dust storms. Operations for the cranes run 14 hours a day, every day, with both required to lift construction materials and equipment in loads of up to 20tonnes. The bridge’s pylons will measure 269m and 247m in height, so to contend with such high lifting heights the cranes are fitted with winches that enable them to lift 17tonne loads up to 270m high.

The Potain MCT 370 is built at Potain’s facility in Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu province, China. The maximum jib length is 75m while 2.7tonnes can be lifted at the jib end. The MCT 370 has a maximum free-standing height of more than 64m.

Duge Beipanjiang Bridge will Span across the Beipanjiang Canyon at the boundary of Yunnan Province and Guizhou Province. Total length for the bridge will be 1,340m and having started in 2012, work is expected to complete in 2016. Main contractor in charge of the build is Second Harbour Engineering Company, a subsidiary of the Fortune 500-listed 2661 China Communications Construction Company. In addition to the bridge the company is building a 3.4km section of the Bidu Expressway, which includes three tunnels and seven bridges.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Chinese Firm Zoomlion is launching its new crane featuring German technology from JOST
    April 15, 2012
    The first firm example of Chinese-European shared crane expertise is being unveiled today by Zoomlion. The Hunan-based manufacturer acquired technology from German-firm JOST and as a result is offering its novel T320 “topless” tower crane, the first in a new series of saddle jib machines from the firm. The new T320 tower crane is the first developed since Chinese purchase of JOST and meets all the European CE requirements for these machines. The crane combines quality German engineering with Zoomlion manufa
  • Bobcat’s Vertikal Telehandlers
    July 18, 2012
    Bobcat was due to unveil its new TR50210 rotary telescopic handler and high horsepower TL470HF telescopic handlers for the first time at the Vertikal Days Exhibition at Haydock Park, Merseyside, north-west England from 27-28 June. The rotating capability of the new telehandlers range is said to allow the machines to serve the needs of an entire site from just one position. Capable of being set up in a matter of minutes, they are described as offering exceptional stability for lifting heavy materials either
  • Formwork solutions for bridge maintenance and repair
    January 6, 2015
    An array of innovative formwork solutions have helped in the repair and construction of key bridge links - Mike Woof writes Formwork producers are continually developing novel solutions for bridge maintenance and construction applications. Several key structures have benefited from the novel use of formwork systems, with suppliers such as Doka, PERI, Pilosio and RMD all working on important structures in recent times. In Estonia, construction work is underway on the bypass around Tartu, the country’s
  • Volvo CE’s arduous Andes assignment
    August 20, 2013
    Volvo Construction Equipment is working in some of the world’s most treacherous terrain to construct a high-speed road link across the Andes Mountains. A fleet of 60 Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) road-building machines is being used to construct a 140km highway across the Andes Mountains, from Bucaramanga, Colombia’s eighth largest city, to Cucuta on the border – providing the country with a much-needed high-speed link with Venezuela. Tasked with this huge undertaking is innovative Colombian hi