Crane service providers Mammoet and Aertssen Machinery Services (AMS) teamed up to install the segments, relying on a duo of powerful Demag lattice boom crawler cranes

Built by BESIX Construct LLC, a Middle Eastern subsidiary of a Belgian company BESIX, the Infinity Bridge (formerly Al Shindagha bridge) is distinguished by its unique architectural design inspired by the concept of infinity.

It is a distinct landmark that promises to be a showcase of Dubai's architectural advancements worldwide.

Forty steel segments of its infinity arch, ranging in weight up to 143 tons, needed to be installed over the Dubai creek and above the bridge deck, which could not support a suitably sized crane. Therefore, the installation of the segments could only be performed by cranes operating from the creek's banks.

To achieve this, crane service providers Mammoet and Aertssen Machinery Services (AMS) teamed up to install the segments, relying on a duo of powerful Demag lattice boom crawler cranes: Aertssen with its CC 3800, positioned at the northern side of the creek and Mammoet with its CC 8800-1, positioned on the southern bank.

The Infinity bridge is 984 ft. long, 72 ft. wide and sits 51 ft. high above the water level. Its infinity arch rises higher — some 138 ft. above the creek. As a result of this, the mid bridge segments would require tandem lifts by two cranes positioned on opposite banks of the creek and with a working radius of 459 ft.

These tandem lifts were performed with the CC 8800-1 handling the majority of the weight — in fact, it could position segments on the opposite side of the bridge, due to its main boom length and a large lifting radius.

The entire operation was completed over a period of six months, with the last piece of the infinity arch was installed in May this year.

"Working in partnership with Aertssen, we provided equipment with sufficient capacity and reach, along with specialist engineering to support the operation of the CC 8800-1 to maximize the overall utilization and its capacity," said Somnath Bhattacharjee, crane operations manager of Mammoet's UAE branch.

"Each lift required an extraordinary level of precision as the tolerances for joining the segments were a matter of millimeters. But when you have the right machines and a great team, all goes smoothly," he added.

The $105 million Infinity Bridge project is part of Dubai's Road and Transport Authority's Shindagha Corridor Improvement project, which covers a 8 mi.-long road network. The bridge can accommodate 24,000 vehicles per hour in both directions and features a combined 9.8 ft.-wide track for pedestrians and cyclists. It is part of the RTA's relentless efforts to keep pace with the ever-growing Dubai landscape.

The Infinity Bridge — the architectural masterpiece — opened to traffic on Jan. 16.

For more information, visit www.mammoet.com.

This story also appears on Crane Equipment Guide.

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