07.11.2012

Check the weight

A truck crane crossing a Bailey bridge in Costa Rica on Tuesday proved to be more than it could handle

The crane an old Grove TM1275 or TM1400 belonging to Grúas Quirós, weighs between 82 and 86 tonnes and the bridge is likely to have a capacity of 40 tonnes or so.

The bridge is a temporary structure taking the General Cañas Highway over a sinkhole that developed in recent heavy rains. The bridge buckled and came down on top of a large bull dozer working below, but thankfully no one was injured in the incident. The highway connects the capital - San José to the country’s main international airport.
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The crane remained on the buckled bridge thanks to some support from the dozer below

The National Roadway Council says that the crane is too heavy to have been travelling on the highway and that the crane company will be obliged to cover the cost of clearing up the damage and replacing the bridge.