At one time, highway and heavy construction contractors used crawler cranes or rubber tire gantries (RTGs) almost exclusively for jobsite lifts. Increasingly, however, they are turning to ‘construction gantry' cranes for bridge, road, and tunnel construction and repair projects.
Advantages of Construction Gantries
Civil contractors have discovered many benefits to using gantry cranes on their jobsites. These cranes:
Can be reconfigured for the next project or resold (as opposed to the 'sunk costs' of expensive crawler crane rentals)
Typically weigh significantly less and require less space than crawler or hydraulic cranes
Can meet virtually any dimensional constraint
Can work in almost any type of space, including the underside of active bridge decks
Require no daily re-mobilization and de-mobilization time. They can remain in place during commuting hours, allowing traffic to travel in all vehicle lanes, and deploy immediately when construction work is allowed, thereby maximizing site labor productivity
Are more efficient because they are designed for the specific application
Are safer than crawler cranes and RTGs because they can be operated via radio controls and ride on tracks along pre-determined paths
Are less expensive to operate because they do not require expensive licensed operators with the same specialized training as with tower cranes, crawler cranes or RTGs
If designed to run from permanent power….Keep neighboring businesses and residents happy because their electric motors make less noise than the diesel engines those on crawler cranes [???]
Emit fewer pollutants, helping contractors to meet environmental jobsite requirements[???]
Features of NAI Construction Gantries
NAI specializes in designing overhead crane systems for bridge, elevated roadway and tunnel repair and construction projects. NAI custom-engineered cranes have:
Spans to meet the widths of the bridges or roadways (up to 250 ft)
The ability to control loads safely through inclines, declines and curves
The endurance to withstand extreme environmental conditions
The ability to accommodate wind, bridge flexing, alternate power sources and limited or challenging clearances
NAI Experience with Construction Gantry Projects
Examples of NAI's extensive bridge, road and tunnel experience include:
Bronx Whitestone Bridge (NY)
Queens Boulevard Bridge (NY)
Williamsburg Bridge (NY)
Triborough Bridge (NY)
Portable crane for work on several bridges on the Ohio River (OH)
Harrisburg/I-81 elevated roadway (PA)
Leeville and Port Fourchon bridge and elevated roadway (LA)
Turtle River/I-95 bridge and highway (GA)
Manhattan Tunnel Boring Project (NY)
Fraser River/Golden Ears Way bridge and highway (Vancouver, BC)
San Francisco Bay Tunnel (CA)
Newark Bay Bridge (NJ)
Sandy River/I-84 bridges (OR)
Verrazano-Narrows Bridge (NY)
ARTBA Membership
As a strong indication of out commitment to the civil construction industry and to developing safer, more efficient and cost-effective solutions for our customers engaged in bridge, elevated roadway and tunnel construction and repair, we are a member of the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA). ARTBA is a federation, the goal of which is to protect and improve the nation’s transportation infrastructure to meet the public and business demand for safe and efficient travel. NAI is proud to support this goal and uses this forum to both learn about our customers’ needs and educate them on the benefits of construction gantries.
