VIKINGS STADIUM CONSTRUCTION: ON TRACK WITH CRANE MATS
If you live in the Twin Cities area, you may have noticed one of the world’s largest cranes helping to construct the new Vikings stadium. The CC6800 Terex Crane is nothing short of an industrial marvel. According to the Associated Press, this crane took 11 days to assemble after 70 trucks delivered all the parts. This crane can lift up to 1,250 metric tons of material at once.
Something of this size and grandeur begs the questions: how does it not sink through the earth? How are construction mats helping the process?
The recent appearance of winter conditions increases the necessity crane mats. Crane mats help with mobility, which is important for a crane that is 400 feet in height and runs on crawler tracks that are over 8 feet tall. Numerous tests were run before the CC6800 arrived in Minnesota to establish it could handle the weather conditions. Ground stabilization is critical for such a large crane and project, as well as protecting the already stressed ground that is dealing with colder temperatures and new pressure. On warmer days, the ground softens and the risk of the crane sinking increases – which would certainly delay the construction of the new stadium.