LIFTING& TRANSPORT
SITEREPORT
Bay Crane dispatched two
Liebherr cranes and a
complex Goldhofer system
to dismantle and remove
the final bridge from the old
Terminal 3 at JFKAirport.
D
eltaAirlines, in concertwith
thePortAuthorityofNew
York andNew Jersey, jointly
approved aplan tomodernize and expand
operations at JFK InternationalAirport
Terminal 4.
However, themodernizationplanwould
require thedemolitionof the aging, but
iconic andhistorically significant “Flying
Saucer”Terminal 3. Itwas firstmade
famouswith the arrival of theBeatles
in1963. Theprojectwould also require
removal of thebridge that connected the
41
terminalwith theAir-Train,which serves
travelers as theymovebetween terminals.
The connectingbridge,whichmeasured
25 feetwideby20 feet tall by150 feet
long,weighed501,000pounds. Itwas the
final structural pieceofTerminal 3 tobe
demolished. But takingdown thebridge
would involve a few challenges, including:
■
closeproximity to theworkingAir-
Train tracks.
■
a suspendedheight ofmore than50
feet above grade.
■
positioneddirectly above themain
automobile artery linking all of the
airport terminals.
Itwas determined that thebridge could
not safelybedemolished inplace and
would require removal inonepiece. It
was at that point that BayCrane Service,
Inc. ofNewYorkwas called in to review
the job.
Short window
TheBayCrane teamworkedwith the
PortAuthorityofNY andNJ,Delta
Airlines andGeneralContractor
GramercyWrecking andEnvironmental
Contractors. PlanBEngineeringprovided
structural analysis of thebridge and
Howard I. Shapiro&Associates provided
lift engineering.
BayCrane’s challengewas to remove
thebridge inonepiece in a seven
hourwindowwithout disruption to
airport operations or trafficon thebusy
terminal loop road.Aunique lift plan
MAY 2014
ACT
Terminated
Two Liebherr cranes carefully lifted the
Terminal 3 connector bridge in one piece.
Together, at the dynamicworking radius
of approximately 65 feet, Bay Cranes’
Liebherr LR-1400-2 and Liebherr
LTM-1500-8.1 had the capacity to lift
701,600 pounds.
