Four Raimondi MRT294 topless tower cranes are currently at work on one of Europe’s most important infrastructure jobsites, a suspension bridge over the Danube long approximately 2km with a span width of 1.1 km, and more than 23km of connecting roads. The project, that aims to link the two Romanian cities of Brăila and Jijila, represents the biggest bridge currently under construction globally. Upon completion, the bridge will be the third biggest in Europe.

Erected between August and September 2020 by a team of Raimondi qualified technicians, the cranes will remain at work in Romania for approximately 30 months until completion of the project, anticipated to be in 2023. The MRT294s are owned by Astaldi SpA, and were purchased directly from Raimondi Cranes. Involved in several important projects, Astaldi has actively contributed to Romania’s infrastructural development performing major strategic public works in the transportation sector.

“The project came with some specific challenges. In fact, if the standard MRT294 comes with maximum rope capacity of 700m, in this case to fulfill the client requirements and project specifications we had to readjust the cranes’ rope length to reach the final height of above 200 meters. Therefore, a new 86 kW hoist with 1,100m drum has been promptly designed and developed.by Raimondi Technical Dept.” stated Cristian Badin, Commercial Director, Raimondi Cranes.

Moreover, “Due to the nature of the project and the shape of the pillars, another important aspect we had to consider was the design of stable and resistant steel anchoring connections to ensure firmness at different working lengths,” Badin explained.

The 46 meter jib cranes are all equipped with a new control system, MoveOne, that increases the level of security, facilitates the crane operator duties and simplifies the crane commissioning, while allowing remote assistance. Additionally, the new Raimondi SmartLink technology installed in the MRT294s, permits a full monitoring of the cranes’ lifecycle.

The MRT294 16t was chosen for the project due to its capacity at the jib tip and its hoist speed. The topless tower model remains one of the company’s bestselling products due to its lifting capacity and its durability in a variety of climates.

Related: Raimondi MRT159 flattop tower crane participates in the build of residential development in Romania