Cranes in Motion
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of buildings lining the street. Atlas Industrial Contracting spearheads the initiative, bringing four of its own man baskets and several forklifts to assist with baling. In all, more than a half-dozen pieces of equipment and 15 to 20 people are involved in the undertaking.
Because the sculpture is primarily a net-like material, capacity isn’ t the primary objective from a crane standpoint. It’ s reach and mobility.
“ The protocol we’ ve developed is that it’ s better for the two cranes to first remove one end of the sculpture then move to the opposite end and detach the final two connection points,” said Bill Hanners, sales representative, ALL Crane Rental Corp., a member of the ALL Family of Companies.
This need for mobility is why two all-terrain cranes are specified for the job. This year, it was a 50-ton Liebherr LTM 1060-3.1 and a 110-ton Liebherr 1090-4.2. In years past, two 1060s have done the job.“ Both cranes were configured with approximately 140 feet of main boom,” said Hanners.
From an equipment standpoint, the pairing is a good fit for a tight urban intersection.
The LTM 1060-3.1 is a compact three-axle all-terrain crane with a telescopic boom that can extend to 157 feet, giving the crew the reach needed while keeping setup efficient inside the closure footprint. The
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larger four-axle LTM 1090-4.2 steps up boom length to 197 feet and a higher maximum hoist height, which can help the team maintain better working angles and reduce the need to reposition when working the far side of the span. In practical terms, that extra stick and flexibility can be the difference between staying comfortably inside the planned traffic control area and having to re-stage a crane mid-operation.
Crew members from Atlas, carried in man baskets, rig each crane to the appropriate connection point on the art piece. Cranes gently lower the first end downward so crews on the ground can remove the sculpture from the rigging and begin the folding process. Then the cranes drive to the other end and repeat the process.
Both cranes also benefit from modern load-moment / control systems designed to support smooth, deliberate movements— an important consideration when crews are suspended in man baskets while handling a delicate, netlike load.
“ This is always done on a Sunday afternoon,” said Hanners.“ This is a busy corridor in downtown Columbus. Sunday is the least-intrusive time to have Gay and High Streets closed for several hours.”
Hanners notes that, after several years of doing this, the team can complete the operation in three or four hours.
After Currents is folded and placed in its special protective container, it goes into storage for the winter.
Then, in a few months will come a sure sign of spring in Columbus. Each March or April, ALL and Atlas return to the intersection of Gay and High Streets to re-install the brightly colored fiber sculpture, as the gray skies of winter give way to blue.
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February 2026 • www. cranehotline. com