This is a continuation of the story of removing concrete girders. I first watched this while the I-26 overpass was being removed. Here is the setup - the Grace and Pearman overpasses (over Immigration Drive) and a few guys starting to set up the crane. I stiched together a video from a group of photos showing the crane lowering a concrete girder.(15 Mb mpeg).

And the crane in its sleeping configuration

A view of the Pearman and Grace passing over Immigration Drive looking south

The overpass looking south down Immigration Drive. Note Jackie in his Cat above as the crane lowers a concrete girder

Another view of the Immigration Drive setup (Neil's night team)

The Pearman concrete girders and the crane in its erect position

Once the girder is positioned, the shear is used to break up the girder into smaller segments.

Watching the shear at work at night is just plain fun

and more fun as it takes another bite from the girder

Now to lift the next girder, the hoisting cable is wrapped around the girder

Two teams attach the hoisting cables

and then the right guys cut through the girder attachment over the supporting pier.

Then Jackie moves in above and hammers around the girder to break it loose

A closer view of hammering

Then Paul's team above cuts the attachments

like a July 4th celebration

Then Jackie picks up one end of the girder with his shear

and lifts and separates

then the crane takes up the slack and Jack lets go of the girder

The crane then picks up the girder and rotates it slightly to clear the supporting structures

more lifting

then lowering the girder

down

down and down

and rotating it to place it in the graveyard - food for the shear