'Country's Most Famous Floating Crane' Begins Journey to Hudson

According to the New York Thruway Authority's latest "New NY Bridge" update, "one of the country’s most famous floating cranes has weighed anchor and begun its journey, traveling from Oakland Harbor, near San Francisco, to the site of the New NY Bridge project. 

Named 'The Left Coast Lifter' for its use in the replacement of the eastern span of the San Francisco—Oakland Bay Bridge, the floating crane will be used in the construction of the New NY Bridge.

"A highly experienced crew of mariners will guide the 400-foot-long crane along the West Coast, through the Panama Canal and the Gulf of Mexico, and then up the East Coast before arriving in the Hudson River. The trip is approximately 6,000-miles long and will take between six and eight weeks to complete."

Pretty impressive. Let's hope the tentative, yet still unfunded, plans for a viewing station to come to the riverfront in the Tarrytown area will come soon.

Patch had heard the Left Coast Lifter was closer to our side of the country a while back but one Californian was quick to fact-check, providing this cool shot of the famous crane (above) and this timeline and correction. From David Hindin:

Citizens,

I write as a citizen of the San Francisco Bay Area and a keen observer of the “Left Coast Lifter.”

Despite reports of the giant crane making its way its last assignment completing the rebuild of the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge, in fact, the Lifter remains berthed in the Oakland Outer Harbor (OOH) at the Port of Oakland, Burma Road Terminal, Berth 7.

Your long wait for the Lifter began with a bogus tweet on 3 Jan 2013 at @NewNYBridge, the Official Twitter account for the New NY Bridge Project:

"Unique Left Coast lifter crane will save time and money. On it's way from Okland Calif. thru Panama Canal."

@NewNYBridge issued an update of sorts on 30 May 13, with this Tweet: "The Left Coast Lifter, one of the world's largest floating cranes, will sail to New York from California this summer."

The Lifter did move locally in July to a San Francisco Dry Dock for some bottom paint but returned to the Oakland berth.

Summer is over and the Lifter is still in Oakland.

David Hindin, Sunnyvale, CA