Thackray Crane Rental was hired to assist in the replacement of four passenger boarding bridges located in both Cape May, New Jersey and in Lewes, Delaware. The newly designed glass enclosed structures replaced four older bridges with new ones that offer an extraordinary view of the Cape May Terminal and canal, the Lewes Ferry Terminal and their surrounding landscapes.

Thackray Crane Rental was challenged by the changing weather patterns and by the unique, custom designed and built passenger bridges made from steel and glass. Ferry operations also had to continue while the new bridge installation work progressed.

Using specialized heavy haul trailers to carry the new bridge, operators began work by carefully moving the new passenger boarding bridge into position located in Cape May, New Jersey. The new bridge had to be rolled under an existing low clearance bridge that had barely more than a few inches of topside clearance. Complicating matters, the work site was partially located both in a tight space and on a limited capacity dock. Careful planning, setup, safety and other precautions had been taken to ensure that the bridge lift would safely proceed.

Adding to the challenge for the Thackray Crane team was that the lengthy one piece passenger bridge had to be precisely lowered into a place where there was only a few inches of installation clearance and no margin for error. Moving too quickly or making any sudden movements could have damaged the new glass and steel infrastructure. Restricted visibility also required close coordination and precise signaling and ultra-fast reaction times between the crew members. There was mostly silence among the crew as everyone concentrated on the task at hand.

With help from the Thackray Team and from many other construction crew members, Thackray’s crane operator used the controls on the powerful Liebherr crane to control, position, delicately lift, maneuver and lower the new passenger bridge into exact position.

It was a delight to see everyone breath a sign of relief and congratulate each other on a job well done!