Link-Belt crawlers drive piling for hurricane evacuation route

Madison, MS-based Key Constructors is hard at work building seven bridges and an interchange as a major subcontractor of Yates Construction on a 9.8 mile stretch of Highway 57 near Vancleave, MS. Key is using three Link-Belt Cranes, two 248 HSL and one 238 HSL to drive over 300 prestressed concrete pilings for the project.

Key is using three Link-Belt Cranes, two 248 HSL and one 238 HSL to drive over 300 prestressed concrete pilings for the project.

“We’ll drive 32 piling for each of the intermediate bridges, then 24 for the bridge abutments—all with Link-Belt cranes,” said Jeff Jackson, site superintendent. “We like Link–Belt’s – we’ve had good service from them. We’ve owned various Link-Belt models, most of our bigger cranes like the 238 HSL and 248 HSL handle pile driving and steel erection.”

The project will eventually serve as a secondary evacuation route as well as a bypass around Vancleave. Mississippi 63, twelve miles to the east is the only other north-south route for quickly moving the local population off the coast for hurricane evacuation. The new four-lane highway will go north from Interstate 10 in Jackson County and travel north to Gautier-Vancleave Road in Jackson County, MS.