Industries
Bridge construction crane services
The right crane for the lift, with NCCCO-certified operators and riggers for bridge construction. Based in West Texas, working statewide.
Crane service for bridge construction
Bridge work means heavy, planned picks: beams, girders, forms and rebar. Tell us the spans, the weights and the site access, and we'll plan the lift.
Lifts we take on include:
- Setting bridge beams and girders
- Setting precast deck panels
- Lifting rebar cages and forms
- Setting barriers and precast sections
Bridge girder and beam setting
The biggest picks on a bridge are the beams. Precast concrete beams and steel girders come in on long trailers, often with a steerable rear dolly, and are picked off the load and set on bearings at the caps and abutments. Each beam is braced before the rigging is released so it can't tip. Long or heavy beams are often set with two cranes in a tandem pick.
Before and after the beams, the crane works the substructure and the deck. Rebar cages go into drilled shafts and up for columns, and forms are set and stripped for caps. Once the beams are up, deck panels, deck rebar and any precast barrier follow. Sites run from creek bottoms to highway overpasses, and access and ground conditions drive where the crane can sit.
- Confirm beam weights, lengths and pick points from the erection drawings.
- Check the crane pad, since creek banks and new fill are often soft.
- Traffic control sets the closure before any beam is picked.
- Pick each beam off the trailer and land it on its bearings.
- The bridge crew braces the beam, then the rigging is released.
- Rig down and clear the lanes before the closure window ends.
Crane and operator for bridge construction
Every job goes out with the right crane for the lift, an NCCCO-certified operator and a rigger.
Bridge picks are planned around the heaviest beam and the longest reach, so start with the erection drawings and the closure schedule.
- Beam or girder weights, lengths and lifting points
- Bent and abutment locations with elevations
- Where the crane can set up at each span
- How the beams are delivered and staged
- Approved lane closure or detour windows
- Water, rail or power lines near the work
Rigging plans and safety plans for bridge construction
Over a live road, traffic drives the schedule. Beams are usually set under a full or lane closure, often at night, and nothing is lifted over moving traffic. A tandem pick with two cranes needs its own written plan that both operators, the riggers and the lift director review before the beam leaves the trailer.
The ground is the other big factor. Crane pads near creek banks, on new embankment and in soft bottoms need checking, and mats are common. We write rigging plans with crane positions, radii and rigging for each beam, and safety plans for the closure, the tandem pick, power lines and any work over water or rail.
Book a crane
Call dispatch or send a lift request. Tell us the load, the location and the date.
FAQ
Questions about bridge construction crane services
Do bridge girders need two cranes?
Not always. Many beams are set with one crane. Long or heavy girders, or setups where a single crane can't make the reach, are often set with two cranes in a tandem pick. A tandem pick needs its own written plan, with each crane's share of the load worked out before the lift.
Can you lift rebar cages for drilled shafts and columns?
Yes. Shaft and column cages are long and flexible, so they're usually stood up in the air using the main and auxiliary lines, or a second crane on long cages, then lowered into place. The cage needs internal bracing and pick points planned for the lift so it doesn't bend.
Do you set precast deck panels on bridge beams?
Yes. Once the beams are set and braced, precast concrete deck panels are often laid across them as stay-in-place forms for the deck pour. They come bundled on trucks and are set one at a time along the beam tops. They're light next to beams, so reach usually decides the crane.
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