Commhoist, a key division of Lowton Infrastructure Group (LIG), proudly announces the successful decommissioning of the temporary 77m tower at Bilsdale. This phase of the project, executed in collaboration with Arqiva, marks the end of a project which commenced in 2021.
Temporary Tower Decommissioning Project Overview
Despite initial setbacks with the track way company on Monday and Tuesday of delivery week, the dedicated Commhoist team managed to overcome these challenges swiftly. By Wednesday 10th July, the crane was fully rigged and operational by 10:30 AM, reducing the anticipated delay from a day and a half to just 2.5 hours.
“I want to extend my deepest gratitude to my team for their remarkable skills and unwavering dedication to this project,” said Steve Mooney, Operations Manager at Commhoist. “They worked tirelessly in harsh weather conditions throughout the week, ensuring the entire tower was decommissioned by Sunday evening.”
The de-rigging process commenced on Monday 15th July morning, and the cranes were driven down the hill from the site later the same day, once fully de-rigged.
This project, undertaken directly with Arqiva, required precise coordination and accurate information. Having reviewed the site multiple times and knowing from Arqiva’s data that Commhoist’s 130t crane could reach the top of the antenna at 77.016m.
Due to the crane setup, support was provided by Commhoist partners Cork Crane Hire. The crane setup demanded a main boom length of 61.7m, a 7m insert section, and a 10.8m fly-jib due to the slope. Once the crane was set level, we had 80.5m under the boom, accounting for the hook length and over hoist chain. Taking all this information into consideration, meant that the margin for error was minimal.
Due to weight restrictions at the site entrance, the crane’s weight had to be reduced to 48 tonnes. This necessitated the transportation of all equipment to a transhipping area 6 km from the site, followed by individual transport of each piece to the site. This process required eight separate journeys using a rigid vehicle.
Commhoist’s success in this project underscores the team’s expertise, resilience, and ability to deliver under challenging conditions.
For more information about Commhoist or the wider Lowton Infrastructure Group and their services, please contact the team at 01942 269 335.