Ang mga parameter ng proyekto kinakailangan na ang crane na kinakailangan upang pag-angat 33 tons ng paggamit ng isang 300 foot boom lumulutang mula sa isang platform sa ilog. Ang Chicago River ay may mabigat na komersyal na barko & recreational craft trapiko na nangangailangan na ang kalahati ng ilog mananatiling bukas. Kinakailangan na ito ay limitado sa laki ng crane platform pagdaragdag ng isa pang hamon sa proyekto. At saka, ang crane at platform ay nagkaroon upang matugunan ang mahigpit na mga parameter ng tren sa kaligtasan na nangangailangan ng isang mas malaking crane at pag-angat ng kapasidad para sa proyekto. Ang North Riverside gusali ay constructed sa paglipas ng pitong aktibong commuter & Amtrak rail linya. Chicago Steel & Clark Construction ay gumagamit ng crane upang mabuo ang mas mababang palapag ng gusali. Pagkatapos ng pagkumpleto ng mas mababang palapag, tower cranes ay magtipon upang makumpleto ang gusali.

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!