Lift Equipment Replacing the Champlain Bridge

Built during the late 1950s and early 1960s, the nearly 55-year-old Champlain Bridge and approaches have been in a constant state of repair, costing hundreds of millions of dollars. In 2008, Transport Canada, the Canadian federal ministry of transportation, commenced studies for a replacement to the failing bridge. The new bridge would be built to modern standards, complement the City’s skyline, accommodate multiple modes of transport – vehicular and commercial traffic, public transportation, and foot traffic – and be built to last more than a century. 

The contract includes a new 470-metre-long bridge for L’Île-des-Soeurs, widening of Highway 15 leading to the New Champlain Bridge and improvement of ramps leading from Highways 132 and 10 on the South Shore to the new bridge. Total project cost, including the design, construction, financing, operation and 30-year maintenance plan of the new bridge, plus rehabilitation of the project corridor, totals $4.2 billion. Signature on the St. Lawrence Group (SSL) is tasked with completing the entire initiative, conducted under a public-private partnership agreement with the Government of Canada. 

Part cable-stay and part precast/prestressed concrete, the 3.4-kilometre-long New Champlain Bridge will be a mixed-use structure crossing the St. Lawrence River. Six traffic lanes will carry commuters plus commercial traffic to and from Montreal and South Shore. Additionally, two inner lanes are reserved for a commuter mass transit system. Finally, the bridge deck will feature a multi-use path, allowing pedestrians and cyclists to safely cross the water. Designed to have a useful lifespan of 125 years, the contract includes a 30-year maintenance guarantee by SSL. 

With a challenging 42-month timeline set for constructing the new bridge, SSL began the project in June 2015, building three temporary jetties for prefabrication of concrete, assembly of steel segments and to serve as docks for mooring the vessels used on the river. While many of the project’s subcontractors and nearly 1,300 office and field workers are from Quebec, the New Champlain Bridge project is truly a global effort. Engineering services and rebar will be sourced from the United States, heavy transport vehicles will be supplied by a company headquartered in the United Kingdom, cables for the cable-stay bridge portion will originate in Switzerland and a company in Spain will provide the steel pier caps. 

Hundreds of pieces of specialized equipment are being used for the three-and-a-half-year bridge construction phase. A massive wheeled transporter and a floating foundation installer are from China and Belgium, respectively. Other equipment is being purchased and rented through local rental stores, like Montreal’s Dickie Moore Rentals, who worked with Genie to supply multiple pieces of lift equipment, critical for bridge construction and inspection.
 
The need for a variety of lift equipment 
With so many different parts to a major bridge construction project like the New Champlain Bridge, SSL has need for a variety of lifting equipment. These machines will grant workers access to projects ranging from constructing the temporary structure supporting the suspended bridge deck to inspecting the piers and cable-stay structure. 

SSL sent out a bid to local rental companies for nine boom lifts. The bid called for a combination of articulated and stick booms with multiple access requirements. 

Dickie Moore Rentals, which has been a part of the Montreal market since 1961, received the bid. The family rental business, which also has locations in Ottawa and Toronto, was started by Hall of Fame hockey player for the Montreal Canadiens, Dickie Moore. “He started the company when a friend who was building a large structure needed a heater for the project,” explained John Moore, president of Dickie Moore Rentals, St. Laurent, Quebec, a Genie equipment distributor. 

“SSL needed multiple booms offering vertical and horizontal heights similar to the Genie Z-62/40 articulated boom and three different stick boom height requirements that aligned closely with our S-125, SX-150 and SX-180 telescopic booms,” said Stephane Riggi, Genie regional sales manager, Terex AWP. 

“The choice of models is based on the needs of access,” said SSL’s Steel Superintendent, Sylvain Houdon. “If we need to articulate through a structural obstacle, we use articulated models or, for high areas difficult to access, we use the telescopic models.” 

Dickie Moore worked with Riggi to match their product to need, equipment availability and pricing.

“We had multiple Genie dealers bidding equipment on this job, so we provided information to all the dealers, so they were on the same playing field,” says Riggi. 

This did not deter or concern the family-run rental business. Moore came up with creative ways to make the bid for lift equipment attractive to SSL. 

“Access equipment is basically dollars and cents, but we wanted to make a statement,” mentions Moore. “We wanted the deal.” And they won it. They delivered five articulated Z-62/40 booms and four telescopic boom lifts – two S-125 and a SX-150 and SX180 – worth $1.5 million to the project site by May 2016. 

Working over water
Before the lifts were put to use, Dickie Moore Rentals and Riggi worked extensively with SSL to address environmental requirements, since the lift equipment would be working over the water and the hydraulic oil had to meet OECD 301B biodegradation testing standards.

“The equipment had to use a special type of biodegradable hydraulic oil that must achieve at least 60 percent biodegradation after 28 days and be at least 80 percent biosourced. Only a few manufacturers make this special type of oil,” says Moore. In effect, the oil must be classified as readily biodegradable, nontoxic to fish and broken down by natural enzymes in the ground and water. “Normand Lapikas with Crevier Lubrifiants was extremely helpful in educating us on the different types of biodegradable oil and selecting the right oil for the application.” 

Riggi also spent time with SSL operators to provide familiarization training on the equipment. “While these were seasoned workers,” Riggi said, “each boom lift brand and model has its own set of specific operating and safety features. It’s good to review the equipment’s capabilities with the workers, so they can get the most out of it.” 

 “The Z-boom configuration offers a number of different up, out and over positioning capabilities for the Z-62/40 lift,” Moore said, “It provides working heights from 40.5 feet (12.5 m) to just under 68 feet (20.9 m), while offering a maximum 40-foot (12.3-m) horizontal reach.” 

The SX-150 and SX-180 telescopic booms fit SSL’s specialized access needs for the bridge structure that has certain points that reach 200 feet (61 m) above the water. “The 150- and 180-foot lifts offer easy, fast and direct reach to access specific structural working and inspection points,” mentioned SSL’s Sylvain Houdon. 

The Genie SX-150 and SX-180 boom designs include a patented XChassis System which extends and retracts the axles to and from the stowed position. When extended, it provides the necessary stability for working at full boom extension. In the retracted position, the machine has a narrow profile for transport on a standard trailer without requiring special permits. 

“When working at full extension, these machines offer rotating platforms, horizontal and vertical jib movement, 360-degree boom rotation, and full-height drive capabilities to give SSL’s workers precise platform positioning,” said Riggi.

During training, Sylvain Houdon learned of a special option for the telescopic booms that improves efficiency for the occasions when workers must exit the basket when working at height. “Genie offers the fall arrest bar that attaches to 6- and 8-foot (1.8- and 2.4-m) platforms, and it comes with a 6-foot (1.8-m) shock-absorbing lanyard for comfortably working outside the basket,” says Riggi. 

Houdon mentions that “The system allows us to better execute ease of access by moving with a sliding anchor point. At the same time, it offers an attachment point when sometimes there is not one, as is the case when working on the Sarens (foundation installer) or the silos.” 

Work has progressed to the point where an additional nine Genie boom lifts have been purchased for the job, replacing rented units. “SSL ordered four Z-80/60 and an additional three Z-62/40 articulated booms plus two S-125 telescopic booms,” said Riggi.

Built during the late 1950s and early 1960s, the nearly 55-year-old Champlain Bridge and approaches have been in a constant state of repair, costing hundreds of millions of dollars. In 2008, Transport Canada, the Canadian federal ministry of transportation, commenced studies for a replacement to the failing bridge. The new bridge would be built to modern standards, complement the City’s skyline, accommodate multiple modes of transport – vehicular and commercial traffic, public transportation, and foot traffic – and be built to last more than a century. 

The contract includes a new 470-metre-long bridge for L’Île-des-Soeurs, widening of Highway 15 leading to the New Champlain Bridge and improvement of ramps leading from Highways 132 and 10 on the South Shore to the new bridge. Total project cost, including the design, construction, financing, operation and 30-year maintenance plan of the new bridge, plus rehabilitation of the project corridor, totals $4.2 billion. Signature on the St. Lawrence Group (SSL) is tasked with completing the entire initiative, conducted under a public-private partnership agreement with the Government of Canada. 

Part cable-stay and part precast/prestressed concrete, the 3.4-kilometre-long New Champlain Bridge will be a mixed-use structure crossing the St. Lawrence River. Six traffic lanes will carry commuters plus commercial traffic to and from Montreal and South Shore. Additionally, two inner lanes are reserved for a commuter mass transit system. Finally, the bridge deck will feature a multi-use path, allowing pedestrians and cyclists to safely cross the water. Designed to have a useful lifespan of 125 years, the contract includes a 30-year maintenance guarantee by SSL. 

With a challenging 42-month timeline set for constructing the new bridge, SSL began the project in June 2015, building three temporary jetties for prefabrication of concrete, assembly of steel segments and to serve as docks for mooring the vessels used on the river. While many of the project’s subcontractors and nearly 1,300 office and field workers are from Quebec, the New Champlain Bridge project is truly a global effort. Engineering services and rebar will be sourced from the United States, heavy transport vehicles will be supplied by a company headquartered in the United Kingdom, cables for the cable-stay bridge portion will originate in Switzerland and a company in Spain will provide the steel pier caps. 

Hundreds of pieces of specialized equipment are being used for the three-and-a-half-year bridge construction phase. A massive wheeled transporter and a floating foundation installer are from China and Belgium, respectively. Other equipment is being purchased and rented through local rental stores, like Montreal’s Dickie Moore Rentals, who worked with Genie to supply multiple pieces of lift equipment, critical for bridge construction and inspection.
 
The need for a variety of lift equipment 
With so many different parts to a major bridge construction project like the New Champlain Bridge, SSL has need for a variety of lifting equipment. These machines will grant workers access to projects ranging from constructing the temporary structure supporting the suspended bridge deck to inspecting the piers and cable-stay structure. 

SSL sent out a bid to local rental companies for nine boom lifts. The bid called for a combination of articulated and stick booms with multiple access requirements. 

Dickie Moore Rentals, which has been a part of the Montreal market since 1961, received the bid. The family rental business, which also has locations in Ottawa and Toronto, was started by Hall of Fame hockey player for the Montreal Canadiens, Dickie Moore. “He started the company when a friend who was building a large structure needed a heater for the project,” explained John Moore, president of Dickie Moore Rentals, St. Laurent, Quebec, a Genie equipment distributor. 

“SSL needed multiple booms offering vertical and horizontal heights similar to the Genie Z-62/40 articulated boom and three different stick boom height requirements that aligned closely with our S-125, SX-150 and SX-180 telescopic booms,” said Stephane Riggi, Genie regional sales manager, Terex AWP. 

“The choice of models is based on the needs of access,” said SSL’s Steel Superintendent, Sylvain Houdon. “If we need to articulate through a structural obstacle, we use articulated models or, for high areas difficult to access, we use the telescopic models.” 

Dickie Moore worked with Riggi to match their product to need, equipment availability and pricing.

“We had multiple Genie dealers bidding equipment on this job, so we provided information to all the dealers, so they were on the same playing field,” says Riggi. 

This did not deter or concern the family-run rental business. Moore came up with creative ways to make the bid for lift equipment attractive to SSL. 

“Access equipment is basically dollars and cents, but we wanted to make a statement,” mentions Moore. “We wanted the deal.” And they won it. They delivered five articulated Z-62/40 booms and four telescopic boom lifts – two S-125 and a SX-150 and SX180 – worth $1.5 million to the project site by May 2016. 

Working over water
Before the lifts were put to use, Dickie Moore Rentals and Riggi worked extensively with SSL to address environmental requirements, since the lift equipment would be working over the water and the hydraulic oil had to meet OECD 301B biodegradation testing standards.

“The equipment had to use a special type of biodegradable hydraulic oil that must achieve at least 60 percent biodegradation after 28 days and be at least 80 percent biosourced. Only a few manufacturers make this special type of oil,” says Moore. In effect, the oil must be classified as readily biodegradable, nontoxic to fish and broken down by natural enzymes in the ground and water. “Normand Lapikas with Crevier Lubrifiants was extremely helpful in educating us on the different types of biodegradable oil and selecting the right oil for the application.” 

Riggi also spent time with SSL operators to provide familiarization training on the equipment. “While these were seasoned workers,” Riggi said, “each boom lift brand and model has its own set of specific operating and safety features. It’s good to review the equipment’s capabilities with the workers, so they can get the most out of it.” 

 “The Z-boom configuration offers a number of different up, out and over positioning capabilities for the Z-62/40 lift,” Moore said, “It provides working heights from 40.5 feet (12.5 m) to just under 68 feet (20.9 m), while offering a maximum 40-foot (12.3-m) horizontal reach.” 

The SX-150 and SX-180 telescopic booms fit SSL’s specialized access needs for the bridge structure that has certain points that reach 200 feet (61 m) above the water. “The 150- and 180-foot lifts offer easy, fast and direct reach to access specific structural working and inspection points,” mentioned SSL’s Sylvain Houdon. 

The Genie SX-150 and SX-180 boom designs include a patented XChassis System which extends and retracts the axles to and from the stowed position. When extended, it provides the necessary stability for working at full boom extension. In the retracted position, the machine has a narrow profile for transport on a standard trailer without requiring special permits. 

“When working at full extension, these machines offer rotating platforms, horizontal and vertical jib movement, 360-degree boom rotation, and full-height drive capabilities to give SSL’s workers precise platform positioning,” said Riggi.

During training, Sylvain Houdon learned of a special option for the telescopic booms that improves efficiency for the occasions when workers must exit the basket when working at height. “Genie offers the fall arrest bar that attaches to 6- and 8-foot (1.8- and 2.4-m) platforms, and it comes with a 6-foot (1.8-m) shock-absorbing lanyard for comfortably working outside the basket,” says Riggi. 

Houdon mentions that “The system allows us to better execute ease of access by moving with a sliding anchor point. At the same time, it offers an attachment point when sometimes there is not one, as is the case when working on the Sarens (foundation installer) or the silos.” 

Work has progressed to the point where an additional nine Genie boom lifts have been purchased for the job, replacing rented units. “SSL ordered four Z-80/60 and an additional three Z-62/40 articulated booms plus two S-125 telescopic booms,” said Riggi.