In tandem, 300- and 500-ton cranes slowly lifted the 92-ton truss into place at the Sports Performance Center. Photos by Christopher Gannon.
How long does it take to hoist a 92-ton steel truss 40 feet? As several dozen spectators observed Friday morning at the athletics department's Sports Performance Center construction site, less than three minutes -- with a 300-ton crane, 500-ton crane and two-man teams in three lifts providing a steadying hand as needed.
The truss, measuring nearly 221 feet long and 38 feet tall, provides the structure for the center's east glass exterior on the third and fourth levels (see sketch below). It was manufactured in pieces at Johnson Machine Works, Chariton. A team from Northwest Steel Erection, Grimes, then spent 2.5 weeks assembling it on site before lifting and welding the truss into position Friday.
The Sports Performance Center is scheduled for completion next April. The larger project for the department includes demolition of the Olsen building for a north plaza, some remodel in the Jacobson Building and a north concourse and accompanying hillside improvements for the football stadium. Work has begun on these pieces and should wrap up by August 2021.
Architect drawing of the Sports Performance Center depicts the structural function of the truss for the third and fourth levels.
Crew members in a boom lift guide the truss as it's lifted 40 feet off the ground.
Once the truss was in place, welders completed the first contacts between truss and extension beams on the Sports Performance Center.
