One of the largest cranes in the world is on its way to Minneapolis to help with construction of the new Minnesota Vikings stadium, the team has announced.
It’s called a Terex-Demag CC 6800 crawler crane, and when fully assembled it’ll stand nearly 400 feet high — nearly as tall as the Hennepin County Government Center, according to MPR News.
The gigantic machine will be brought to Minneapolis over 10 days in 70 truckloads of components from Pennsylvania, where it was used in the construction of a power plant.
When the pieces all arrive, it’ll take another 11 days to put the crane together. Once the crane is assembled, it will be able to lift up to 1,250 metric tons.
The crane will be used to erect the roof truss structure of the stadium, according to the Star Tribune, and the team says it will be a part of the downtown Minneapolis skyline for the next 15 months or so.
The Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority and Mortenson Construction are planning a news conference Monday at 10 a.m. when the first of the crane’s components arrive, according to the Star Tribune.
Stadium construction began about six months ago, and there’s another two years’ worth of work left before it’s finished. It’s expected to open for the Minnesota Vikings season in the fall of 2016.
Here’s a video that shows how the crane is assembled.
