The Belgian heavy-lift multi-national, Sarens, has completed the installation of a walkway bridge in the commune of Hazebrouck, in the north of France. A 650-tonne crawler crane was used to install the bridge, during a strict lifting window.

The 75-metre long walkway bridge goes over the eight railway lines at the Hazebrouck railway station and connects the car park to the main station building. Due to the station’s central location in town, the operation had a short lifting window, during the weekend, to minimise traffic disruption. The bridge was installed in a mere five hours.

Sarens used the SL3800 with super lift, a 650-tonne crawler crane in an SSL configuration. The crane, which is easy to assemble and mobilise in a smaller space, was set up at the construction site one week before the lifting operation. It was then demobilised within the same weekend that the lift was completed.

According to Project Manager Koen Rooms, “The tackles helped us in reducing the time taken for installation and making the operation safer.” He adds, “A test lift was performed a day before the scheduled lift to precisely execute the operation. The bridge was lifted at a radius of 27m.”