With cranes arriving some may think it’s just a little time to get it cleared. But a lot has to go into clearing.
A lot of people want in the area. Engineers, divers, sonar experts, crew of the crane, etc. . They don’t know much about what under the water line. How are they going to remove sections where it buckled? How many times well they have to cut parts. While worrying about the section collapsing or shifting.
I’ll probably miss something in this. But I’ll try.
Engineers will have a tough time getting the information they need to pull sections out. Plans will have to be made double checked and triple checked. First part will require extensive sonar mapping and probably a lot of hands on by divers. But they are limited because of visibility.
When the cranes are setting up whole areas will have to be cleared of personnel. The cranes put out long anchor lines to stabilize it. You don’t want anyone near those lines when they tension them. The tender boats will be the only things out. Next there’s going to be multiple cranes so setting the lines they need to make sure they don’t interfere with each other.
This is going to need massive communication and coordination between all involved. There will be sections that need to be severed. People are going to be in direct danger while working on it. So everything has to be right.
I know I missed steps or didn’t fully describe them. But I want to get to the part I’ve seen in person.
I’ve been on offshore platforms while equipment and living quarters were set or taken off. It’s unbelievable dangerous. They have to be sure everything on the anchor lines are right. When they tension and release the lines there’s always a chance one may snap.
The next thing I saw while they were lifting was the roustabouts trying to grab the rope attached to the hook. You might think that’s simple task. But it’s not. Between waves, wind, height of the boom, and cable length just that rope is a danger. The crew was on the deck while we hid looking out the windows. The rope was swinging around so fast you could hear it snap like a whip. They would time a grab at it when it hit something then dog pile it. Now consider instead of a level platform to work on they will be attached to the bridge structure by a lanyard. Over water and the structure itself any mistake could cost a life. You can hope for really low wind speeds. But it doesn’t take much to get the hook and rope going.
Like I said I know I’ve missed stuff here. But any time you think it’s taking a long time consider the lives of those doing the work.
Edit1.
I knew I’d forget something. There’s also tidal movement every day. So the tension on the anchors will have to be adjusted constantly.
Edit 2.
As a reference to the size of the cranes. This has been a long time back and cranes have gotten bigger. The operator was seated at a level about 15 feet above the top deck. The top deck was 90-100 feet above water. It sounds like one of the cranes will be a lot bigger.