20.01.2007

New crane goes up in Bellevue

A brand new tower crane is being erected this weekend at Tower 333 in Bellevue (Seattle) Washington, the site of a fatal accident in November which killed a man in a top-floor apartment when a 60-metre tower crane came crashing down.

The replacement crane is a brand new Liebherr model, shipped from the company’s Bieberach plant in December to Morrow Equipment in the USA.

This time the contractor, Lease Crutcher Lewis Construction, has insisted on a traditional foundation which follows Liebherr’s recommendations. The catastrophic failure of the original crane is thought to be related to its unusual I-Beam suspended saddle-type base which was slung between four concrete pillars.

The new foundation is a traditional one with the anchor bolts cast into a designed concrete foundation in the basement floor. The final structure has been tested and approved by a consulting engineer.

Once the crane has been erected it will be calibrated and inspected by a third party. The investigation into the causes of the accident is ongoing with the full findings not expected to be published until the summer.