Bigge Helps to Rejuvenate California Neighborhoods

Bigge has two cranes working in tandem on the project. A 35-ton capacity rough-terrain crane has been on site for several weeks, hoisting glass panels to finish the building’s construction. The 2,000-pound panels enclose the entire building, and each requires one to two hours of installation. The second crane on site is a one-man 90-ton capacity hydraulic truck crane, working for an HVAC contractor to hoist equipment to the roof.

Just across the bay in Oakland, Calif., Bigge recently hoisted and set a new pedestrian walkway bridge that spans over the Union Pacific railroad tracks at the historic Jack London Square district. The waterfront is a popular tourist attraction that is undergoing a $300 million redevelopment that includes restaurants, entertainment, parking facilities and office space.

Bigge crews started to prepare for the night lift weeks in advance to coordinate schedules and obtain permits to shut down the road and railway. The 180-foot-long bridge weighed 200,000 pounds and was hoisted and set with Bigge’s 600-ton Demag. The bridge connects a recently built parking structure and adjacent building and is attached to a smaller 80-foot walkway that the company set in November.

Since 1916, Bigge has been involved with developments in and around the Bay Area. In the early years, the company kept busy installing sewer lines, transporting cargo from the ports, and installing the local Bay Area Transit System (BART).