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A heavy-duty helicopter replaced a cooling tower at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, demonstrating its power. Meanwhile, the Alabama Forestry Commission launched a program to upgrade rural bridges, aiming to improve transportation routes for the timber industry.
Wed January 22, 2025 - Southeast Edition
Like a scene out of a movie, Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM) in Alabama conducted an equipment replacement operation Jan. 15 that involved a heavy-duty helicopter lifting, transporting and lowering cooling towers in various locations.
The project was carefully designed to remove a cooling tower from the roof of a building which is located in the center of the airport's parking deck and replace it with a new one.
Cooling towers like the one at BHM are heat exchangers that use water and air to transfer heat from air-conditioning systems.
Birmingham's airport has three main cooling towers: one is the primary unit, and two serve as backup, which activate as the need arises. One tower had reached the end of its useful life, according to BHM officials, and needed to be replaced with a new unit.
Due to the location of the cooling towers and the weight of the units, a Sikorsky S-64E Skycrane helicopter was used to complete the mission.
The contractor, McAbee Construction Inc. of Tuscaloosa, was required to coordinate all activities surrounding the cooling tower placements, including safety plans, traffic control and the actual disconnecting and installation of piping, electrical and programming for the new unit.
"This project was not your everyday equipment replacement," explained Matthew Nelson, vice president of facilities of the Birmingham Airport Authority. "Replacing the cooling tower required a highly specialized operation with a lot of attention to detail."
The new cooling tower, he added, "will help ensure a comfortable, cool environment for customers when they come through the terminal this summer and for years to come."
McAbee Construction was awarded the contract last September after submitting a bid of $691,596 for completion of the project, according to BHM.
The legendary S-64E Sikorsky Skycrane is an archetypal heavy-lift helicopter and remains the workhorse for top-tier industrial aviation companies around the world.
Designed by Sikorsky Aircraft for civilian use in 1968, only a dozen S-64E Skycranes were ever produced, making the aircraft one of the most sought-after helicopters across the heavy-lift industry. Today, only a fraction of the original production run remains in service, with California-based Siller Helicopters operating two S-64Es, including the one working at Birmingham International.
The helicopter is powered by massive, twin 4,500 hp engines, making it capable of lifting payloads up to 20,000 lbs. Therefore, the S-64E was built for aerial heavy lifting, including payloads such as transmission towers, fire suppression tanks, construction equipment, HVAC units and other custom-rigged loads.
Its center-spine airframe, which increases lift capacity and dramatically reduces payload shift, combined with the introduction of a specialized third pilot, the Sikorsky S-64E has proven itself ideal for operations requiring pinpoint precision and immense power, such as construction and firefighting.
To support one of the state's key economic engines, the Alabama Forestry Commission (AFC) launched its new Rural Bridge Grant initiative, effective Jan. 10.
This vital program, established through the Alabama Legislature's Rural Logging Efficiency Act of 2023 and funded by the FY25 General Fund Budget, is dedicated to upgrading infrastructure and easing costly transportation challenges resulting from the need to route loaded trucks around corridors with statutorily limited bridges in rural areas.
The grant initiative invites county commissions to submit applications for funding to address rural, county-maintained bridges that are weight-restricted or otherwise hinder the efficient transport of timber to sawmills and manufacturing facilities.
Eligible projects include the maintenance, repair, replacement and construction of rural public bridges.
Counties are encouraged to apply for grants up to $400,000, complemented by local matching funds, to facilitate projects that ensure safe and unrestricted transportation routes for timber.
State Forester Rick Oates emphasized the significance of this initiative when he said, "The Alabama Forestry Commission is excited to offer this innovative economic resource, which will benefit all levels of the forestry sector and signals a commitment to our state's rural economy.
"We anticipate receiving applications that align with our goal to enhance transportation routes by upgrading substandard bridges, ultimately reducing costs and providing new efficiencies for timber owners and businesses," he added.
Al Jones, a senior economic developer with the AFC, said the goal is to replace weight-restricted bridges, culverts and places with storm water damage, forcing timber companies to take costly detours.
"The cost of transportation is really getting high," he told WVUA-TV in Tuscaloosa. "If you have to haul timber outside the shortest route to get around a load-restricted or otherwise restricted bridge, it can really eat into [your] profits."
Alabama has 1,950 statutorily limited bridges whose maintenance falls under county commissions, according to Jones.
"The local loggers and even the mills and manufacturers say we have to spend extra money on this particular road specifically; that's what we're looking for," he said.
The timber industry was recently highlighted as a key focus area in the state's newest economic development strategy. The Alabama Department of Commerce's Catalyst plan identified the sector as one of the state's top economic drivers.
County commissions across Alabama have until March 14 to submit their grant applications. Once the grant agreement is in place, they can begin construction immediately with a 24-month timeline for completion.
Late this spring, the AFC plans to announce which areas in Alabama will be awarded the funding, according to WUVA-TV.