Air Hoists at Mackinac Bridge, Michigan US

The iconic ivory towers of the Mackinac Bridge needed a new coat of paint for the first time in its 60 year history. This $6.3 million project involved the removal of old lead-based paint and the repainting of the north tower of the bridge.  A custom 20,000 lb platform was built to execute this work. The challenge was finding a robust lifting device for the platform that did not require electricity. Given the lead paint, use of electricity on the platform would significantly increase the explosion risk. Tractel® was able to provide Air Hoists capable of lifting 6,600 lbs per hoist. Four Air Hoists were utilized to help restore the aesthetics of this historic Michigan bridge.