Simon Bretherton, project director for client organisation Suffolk County Council, said: “The arrival of these next sections will see the structure take shape for the first time on both sides of Lake Lothing. “To have one of the largest cranes in the world on site for this project is a fantastic learning opportunity for our apprentices, graduates and placements.”

A lot of planning takes place in advance of the sections being transported into Lowestoft and, once here, we will be beginning the process of lifting these elements into position almost immediately. A concrete pour will then set the viaduct in its final position.įarrans Construction project director Neil Rogers said: “This week’s arrival of four large sections of the bridge is an important and busy time for our site team. Once in place, a site weld and bolted splices will secure the four sections to each other.

Finally, SAV4 will be lifted directly from the barge onto piers 3 and 4. SAV3 will then be picked up from the temporary base and placed onto piers 2 and 3.

SAV2 is 30 metres long and weighs 90 tonnes, while SAV4 is 45 metres long and 381 tonnes.Īfter the return crossing – due to take place in the coming days subject to weather conditions – the barge will be moored up and SAV2 offloaded directly onto piers 1 and 2. The barge will then sail back to Ghent to collect SAV2 and SAV4. SAV1 will then be offloaded directly into position on the southern approach abutment and pier 1. SAV3 will be offloaded first and placed on a temporary base. Īssembly and testing of the Demag crane took 10 days. Mammoet’s CC8800 was shipped into Lowestoft from Copenhagen last month and off-loaded by the Liebherr LR 1600 crane that had previously been used to unload the northern approach sections that arrived from the Netherlands last month. In 2019 it was taken over by Tadano of Japan. Within months, Demag was acquired by Terex of the USA. It was launched in 2001 by Germany’s Mannesmann Demag with a 1,250-tonne rate capacity, later uprated to 1,600 tonnes and then made available in a 3,200-tonne capacity twin-boom version. The CC8800 was, in its day, the world’s biggest series production mobile crane. The crane was in place for when south approach viaduct (SAV) steel sections 1 and 3 arrived at the construction site on Lake Lothing on the evening of Sunday 23rd April on a barge from Ghent in Belgium.įabricated by Victor Buyck, SAV1 is approximately 35 metres long and 105 tonnes and SAV3 is 41 metres and 213 tonnes. The 1600-tonne capacity crane has been supplied by Mammoet for main contractor Farrans and its steel subcontractor Victor Buyck Steel Construction. The CC8800 lifts the SAV sections from the barge as the unloading process begins (Image: CHPV Offshore Film & Photography) Menu Fast Index My Account FREE Newsletters Construction Index

A view from the bridge set