12.09.2025

Liebherr cranes build wildlife bridge

Swiss crane and transport company Affolter Transporte has installed 50 timber beams for a wildlife bridge over the A1 motorway near Solothurn, Northern Switzerland, using three cranes over six night shifts.
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Working in tandem with a new EC-B tower crane, two LTM All Terrains handle the night time operations

The operation required highway closures between 23:00 and 05:00 each night, with up to 10 timber beams installed per shift. Each beam is 38 metres long, three metres high and weighed 20 tonnes.
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The first components are loaded onto the transporters with a 20 year old LTM 1100-5.1

The primary lifting was performed by a 300 tonne Liebherr LTM 1300-6.2 All Terrain operating at a 25 metre radius to place beams at half hour intervals. The curved timber beams span all four lanes without intermediate supports.
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An LTM 1160-5.2 was positioned on the closed carriageway to unload and place the timber beams into a holding frame for the 300 tonne crane

An older Liebherr mobile crane loaded the beams onto heavy transport trailers at a storage site in Rapperswil, 20 kilometres from the construction site. Upon arrival, a 160 tonne LTM 1160-5.2 unloaded the beams and placed them into a holding frame before the LTM 1300-6.2 completed the installation.
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Crane operator Mathias Alram lifts the beams with the LTM 1300-6.2 and…

Affolter also deployed four tractor units and two escort vehicles each night alongside the three cranes. The timber structure was completed within one week, with carriageways cleared and reopened for morning traffic each day.
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…delivers them for installation

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The 38 metre timber beams bridge the entire motorway without intermediate supports. A Liebherr EC-B top-slewing crane installs the cover plates onto the beams