Liebherr Crawler Cranes Support Construction Of Alaska’s Juneau Creek Bridge

The construction of the 290-metre Juneau Creek Bridge is the centerpiece of one of Alaska’s largest infrastructure projects, designed to boost traffic capacity and improve safety on the Sterling Highway between Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula. Contractor Traylor Bros, Inc. is using two Liebherr LR 1300.1 SX crawler cranes to lift and assemble the steel bridge sections.

The steel girders are assembled on one side of the canyon and gradually pushed over the Juneau Creek Canyon using the bridge launch technique, allowing precise positioning without the need for complex scaffolding. Crane operator Travis Ludlow noted that the first girder lifts were the most challenging due to strong winds reaching up to 40 mph, adding that having a Liebherr crawler crane on each side of the project was crucial.

He highlighted the cranes’ Gradient Travel Aid feature, which helps navigate steep terrain by automatically calculating the center of gravity and warning the operator before leaving the safe zone. The system provides real-time gradient data and allows boom adjustments to maintain stability, supporting safe operation in difficult topography.

Decisive factors to choose a Liebherr crawler crane

Only solid steel girders are being used for the Juneau Creek Bridge. These allow for wide spans and a high load-bearing capacity with minimum material weight. The girders must be aligned with millimetre precision to achieve the necessary stability for the bridge. Traylor Bros, Inc. are carrying out this job with the two crawler cranes LR 1300.1 SX, so that the bridge can grow safely and efficiently across the canyon. ‘There were several factors that went into the decision to choose the LR 1300.1 SX. The reliability of the crawler cranes is incredibly important for our project site. We have a small window before the weather kicks us out. Any malfunctions would cause massive schedule delays. The LR 1300.1 SX works when we need it. It has the versatility and the capacity to handle all the lifts we need to do,’ says Tyler Becker, Senior Field Engineer at Traylor Bros, Inc.

From planning software to lifting operation

The bridge has to withstand the extreme weather conditions in Alaska: strong snowfall, biting winds and great temperature swings. The seismic activities in the region were also considered in the technical calculations, in order to provide sufficient safety in the event of earthquakes. The remote location and the surrounding natural habitats required careful planning of the project so that the ecological impact could be minimised. Steep slopes and limited access roads make the positioning of large bridge components extremely difficult. Traylor Bros, Inc. planned the whole deployment of the two crawler cranes in advance and also during the work using Liebherr’s 3D software Crane Planner 2.0. By simulating the lifts, the company is supported in taking all scenarios into account and also finding solutions for them in advance so that the bridge project can be completed safely, efficiently and on time.