The Great Lakes Construction Co., Hinckley, Ohio, received a $3.5 million contract from the Ohio Department of Transportation to build highway traffic noise barriers. The 8,000-foot-long sound barrier is located between Tiedeman Road and Ridge Road in Brooklyn, Ohio. The sound barrier project is one of 12 different ODOT projects for Cuyahoga County that was mandated to have minimal impact on traffic.
In order to place the 329 precast concrete posts and 660 concrete sound barrier panels, the Great Lakes Construction Co. rented a 75-ton Link-Belt TCC-750 telescopic-boom crawler crane from Columbus Equipment of Columbus, Ohio. The TCC-750 proved to be agile while working on the shoulder of the roadway due to its size and mobility. “The crane’s footprint kept construction work out of traffic and the interstate lanes open,” said John Schrieber, project superintendent for the Great Lakes Construction Co.
After a foundation drilling rig made holes for the 329 posts, the TCC-750 lifted into place rebar cages and anchor bolts before pouring concrete for the foundations. The foundations were anywhere from 8 to 15 feet deep and 30 inches in diameter. Once the foundations were built, the TCC-750 lifted precast concrete posts weighing up to 1,500 pounds from the I-480 roadside to their final position 25 feet above grade.
Once the posts were placed, the TCC-750 slid into place 660, 14,000-pound concrete sound barrier panels. For 1,600 feet of drainage, the TCC-750 dropped No. 8 stone with a concrete bucket to backfill behind the wall.
“[The Link-Belt TCC-750] has been a great machine for us,” Schrieber said. “It handles our panels very well, and we are impressed by it.”
