ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Early today, the Manitowoc 7000 ringer crane started its travels up the Missouri River, from St. Louis to Kansas City, Missouri and will eventually arrive at the second largest design-build construction project in the state. 

The 7000 is too large to travel by roadway, and will be pushed on barges by tugboat to the new Christopher S. Bond Bridge, under construction in Kansas City.  The ringer crane will travel in parts, as its full proportions would not allow it to fit under bridges along the route.  Fully extended for this project, the boom on this crane is 325 feet long, with a 60-foot jib.  The 7000 will sit on a steel ring, allowing the boom to swivel.  This ringer crane is so large, that it requires a counterweight of 552,000 pounds before any load is added.  It is rare for a crane this size to be used for a construction project in an inland waterway.

A barge was specially fabricated to carry this crane.  The 7000 was shipped by sea from Holland over a month ago.  After use on multiple projects in Rotterdam, Netherlands, the 7000 was purchased by Massman Construction Co., headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., for specific use on this project.  This Manitowoc 7000 is only one of six built by the Manitowoc company.

The $245 million kcICON project will reconstruct/rehabilitate 4.7 miles of Interstate 29/35 from just north of Route 210/Armour Road in North Kansas City into the northeast corner of the downtown Kansas City, Mo. freeway loop.  The project includes improving outdated interchanges and the construction of the Christopher S. Bond Bridge - a new landmark, cable-stay Missouri River Bridge.  Crane photos and additional information is available on the project's Web site: www.kcicon.com or on facebook "kcICON Project."