These first two cranes will be joined by six others during the course of the US$93 million project. The two cranes that have already been erected are working on the bridge’s main pylons, which will reach heights of 269m and 247m on either side of Beipanjiang Canyon. The four other Potain cranes will arrive over the next few months and all of the cranes will work at the site for four years. The cranes will climb to final working heights of up to 290 m to complete the project.

Liupanshui Shengsheng Construction Equipment Leasing owns the Potain MCT 370 cranes and the company selected them for this project following favourable experiences on other sites, as Shi Wenyang, general manager of Shengsheng, explained. “Potain tower cranes are a premium product that demonstrate their value when pushed to their limits,” he said. “This bridge-building project is highly ambitious, and has a climate and location that will really test these cranes. But we know what they are capable of having used them on several previous projects. Potain cranes have always proven their value beyond our expectations.”

The Potain cranes at the Duge Beipanjiang Bridge project were transported more than 2,000km from Potain’s facility in Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu province, to the site – much of the route along narrow and winding roads. Now, they must contend with the monsoon climate, which fluctuates from freezing temperatures, high winds and snow through to drought and dust storms.

Zhao Chao, deputy chief engineer of the project, said the support offered by Manitowoc Crane Care is a major reassurance on such a complicated project. “The construction site is not conveniently located and working conditions on site can be very demanding,” he said. "But Manitowoc’s team has come here many times to provide the best solution that meets our challenging needs.”

Duge Beipanjiang Bridge will span across the Beipanjiang Canyon at the boundary of the provinces of Yunnan and Guizhou. The total length for the bridge will be 1,340m.

Main contractor in charge of the build is Second Harbour Engineering Company.