Link-Belt lifts steel for hospital complex

Stevenson Crane & Rigging supplied a new Link-Belt 150-ton 238 HSL lattice crawler crane at a hospital construction project in Crown Point, Indiana. The seven-story, 497,000 square foot hospital is composed of 4,600 tons of structural steel fabricated by nearby Lenex Steel of Indianapolis, IN.

Ben Hur Construction of Fairfield, OH was awarded contract for steel erection and is set to complete the structural steel contract in six months.

Stevenson Crane & Rigging supplied a new Link-Belt 150-ton (136-mt) 238 HSL lattice crawler crane at a hospital construction project in Crown Point, IN.

“We are able to set 40-50 pieces of structural steel per day, and once we get in a nice rhythm we can safely set up to 80 pieces in a day,” said Frank Hiatt, Senior Project Manager for Ben Hur Construction, Central Division-Indianapolis.

Ben Hur Construction stages structural steel, and other building materials nearby for the 238 HSL so that construction can move at a steady pace.

“More speed and less distance to travel to place the Christmas tree rigging allows multiple steel beams per lift and expedites each hoist,” explained Hiatt. “It (238 HSL) still has the reach needed to place up to five beams, spaced seven feet apart in one lift to the far, top reaches of the structure, which saves the crew time in placement of each beam.

Job requirements determined that Ben Hur would need 200 feet of main boom, with 50 feet of jib offset at 25 degrees for their 238 HSL. The heaviest load is the 40-foot steel columns that weigh 20,000 pounds and form 40-foot squares. Structural beams weigh between 3,000 pounds and 4,000 pounds.

Tonn & Block, also of Indianapolis is the general contractor for the nearly $333 million project which began in early 2021 and is scheduled for a fall 2023 completion date. The project is part of an overall $500 million investment that will eventually cover over 540 acres and include residential and commercial developments.