Os parâmetros do projeto exigiam que o guindaste levantasse 33 toneladas usando um 300 boom do pé flutuando de uma plataforma no rio. O rio Chicago tem uma barcaça comercial pesada & o tráfego de embarcações de recreio requerendo que metade do rio permaneça aberto. Este requisito restringiu o tamanho da plataforma do guindaste, adicionando outro desafio ao projeto. Além disso, o guindaste e a plataforma precisavam atender a rígidos parâmetros de segurança ferroviária, exigindo um guindaste e capacidade de elevação maiores para o projeto. O edifício North Riverside está sendo construído ao longo de sete passageiros ativos & Linhas ferroviárias Amtrak. Chicago Steel & A Clark Construction está usando o guindaste para construir os andares inferiores do edifício. Após a conclusão dos andares inferiores, guindastes de torre serão montados para completar a construção.

The Poseidon® Barge engineering and sales staff met with Chicago Steel Engineers to discuss and plan the project. Analysis determined that a 99’ x 132’ x 10’ platform would be suitable for the project requirements. Two layers of wood mats and steel plating were installed under the crane to ensure spreading the load of the crane over the platform surface. Stability analysis was completed to ensure that the list and trim parameters were not exceeded.

The platform was constructed using the Poseidon® P10 Portable Sectional Barges, first introduced at Con-Expo in March of 2014. The platform consists of 23 – P10 44’ x 11’ x 10’ sections and 8 – 22’ x 11’ x 10’ sections. The platform was assembled 4 miles south of the project site. Chicago Steel used a Manitowoc 2250 crane to offload the sections from the truck and set them into the water. A crew of three men assembled the barges in the water. After staging the barges on land and blocking the female pins in the up position, the crew was able to assemble 5 – 44’ units and 2 – 22’ units in a 22’ x 132’ configuration in two hours.

Poseidon® Barge and Chicago Steel were assisted by Thatcher Foundations Inc. Thatcher assisted with their tug boat as well as helping to install the one million plus pounds of counter weights on the crane at the construction site. Kindra Lake Towing played an integral role in planning and moving the platform four miles upriver to the construction site, after assembly was complete. The platform was moved on a Sunday morning to lessen the impact on traffic in downtown Chicago as bridges would have to be raised to allow the crane and platform to pass underneath.

Thank you to Chicago Steel, Clark Construction, Kindra Lake Towing and Thatcher Construction for their support of Poseidon® Barge!