Re-uniting Two Villages

April 7, 2004 -An old wooden bridge that crossed a railway track between two sleepy villages served its purpose for nearly 70 years. But in 1974, the bridge was torn down for safety reasons. For three decades since-until recently- residents of Upper and Lower Island Pond, Vt. , have had to take a long walk around town if they wanted to cross the tracks safely. Thanks to constant petitioning by locals to the state and federal government, a new bridge was recently installed with the help of two Grove truck cranes.

Because it was necessary to keep the railway open at all times, the bridge was constructed next to the tracks and then lifted into place in one piece. The 114-foot long bridge weighed 48 tons, requiring a dual-crane lift to set it. The job was performed by Desrochers Crane Service of Derby, Vt., and Gould Crane Service of Hooksett, N.H.

"Having two machines of exactly the same type made the lift very controllable as each crane was able to mirror the other's actions," said Brian O'Connell of Shawmut Equipment, the company that sold the 90 ton TMS900E truck cranes to the contractors. The TMS900E is equipped with a five-section boom with maximum lift height of 142 feet. The crane features the TWIN LOCK boom pinning system, which pre-selects boom extension modes to efficiently pin sections automatically.

With the two-stage outriggers in place the bridge was first lifted from its construction site adjacent to the railway to a pre-lift position straddling the tracks. From there the TMS900E operators controlled the final lift, placing the bridge next to pre-built staircase abutments, using the ECOS system (Electronic Crane Operating System). The EKS4 load moment indicator provided detailed feedback and control of the cranes' operating functions throughout the lift.

When the lift was complete, more than 200 spectators cheered and blew air horns celebrating the reunion of the two villages.