Two 220 tonne crawler cranes are helping install a major stormwater outfall pipeline off Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, as part of ongoing efforts to reduce coastal flooding along the Grand Strand.
ALL Carolina Crane Rental of Wilmington supplied a 220 tonne Manitowoc 14000 and a 220 tonne Link-Belt 248HSL for the project, where crews are installing 84-inch concrete pipe extending approximately 1,500 feet beneath the Atlantic Ocean. The new outfall will connect to the city’s stormwater system, helping carry excess runoff offshore and reduce flooding in low-lying areas.
Before pipe installation could begin, the cranes were used to construct a temporary trestle stretching out over the water. The Link-Belt 248HSL installed sheet piles, round pilings and steel girders before placing crawler mats, creating a stable working platform that allowed both cranes to travel over the ocean.
The Manitowoc 14000, equipped with 164 feet of main boom and 221,000 pounds of counterweight, was selected to lift and install concrete pipe sections weighing up to 55,000 pounds. The Link-Belt 248HSL transported the pipe sections from delivery trucks along the trestle to the installation point.
Once lowered below the surface, the pipe sections were positioned inside a steel setting box before divers connected them using a wedge-lock joint system designed to withstand ocean currents.
Limited space added to the complexity of the project. The crawler cranes were assembled at a public beach access only around 50 feet wide, while all crane components, crawler mats and pipe sections had to be transported individually from a laydown yard located several miles away.
The project marks another collaboration between ALL Carolina Crane Rental and Manson Construction on specialised coastal infrastructure designed to improve stormwater management and protect South Carolina’s shoreline.
