Clusters of spectators gathered along River Street on Tuesday morning to witness the passing of three massive cranes under the Talmadge Bridge.
The action began a few minutes before 9 a.m. when a small patrol boat with flashing lights parked underneath the bridge. Shortly after, fire trucks sped across the bridge to halt traffic before the cranes’ passed beneath it.
A few minutes past 9 a.m., the bridge was clear of traffic. For the next 15 minutes or so, people watched as support and tugboats led the cranes from the Port to safely beneath and downstream from the bridge.
At 180 feet each, the cranes had little margin when passing under the bridge, which has 185 feet of clearance. Turbulent waves or winds could have proven disastrous.
Spectators believed that closing the bridge was the safest choice.
One of them, Richard Wesley, who’s a pilot at Savannah Pilots Association, said the safety precaution to close to bridge was a smart move.
He was also optimistic about the cranes’ service potential once they reach their destination in Puerto Rico.
“They’re in good condition and they’re older,” he said. “They should help Puerto Rico.”
Jay Mills, another spectator, agreed.
“The fact that these cranes are able to be repurposed in Puerto Rico instead of being demolished is great,” Mills said.
Cheers could be heard from atop the Bohemian Hotel as employees of Moffatt & Nichol, the engineering firm overseeing the project, celebrated the cranes’s successful passage.
Construction on the cranes began in early February as Moffatt & Nichol employees worked 10-15 hour days, seven days a week. Twenty-four-hour shifts were not uncommon toward the end of construction.
With such a tight margin between the cranes and the bridge, the barge had to be lowered so the cranes could pass beneath. The legs of the cranes also had to be removed to accommodate the move.
Once under the bridge, the cranes were parked at Liberty Terminal and were scheduled to depart for San Juan, Puerto Rico, this morning.
It will take them 10 days to reach the Port of San Juan.
Once in Puerto Rico, the cranes will serve the Isla Bella, the world’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) powered containership.
Christy Purvis, the wife of the head engineer for the project of transporting the cranes, was proud to see her husband’s hard work pay off.
“This is a huge accomplishment,” she said. “It’s really a once in a lifetime event.”