Downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, hit a grand slam in the form of a $114-million minor league baseball stadium and adjoining apartments, condominiums, and retail space on the city’s east side. Denark Construction is lead construction manager for the project, which will see erecting of a new ballpark for the Tennessee Smokies, the AA affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, as well as Beauford Delaney Building condominiums along the first-base side and Yardley Flats apartments along the third-base side. A new pedestrian bridge over a storm culvert will link the space to the rest of downtown.
Providing heavy lift equipment for the project is ALL Crane Rental of Tennessee, a member of the ALL Family of Companies. ALL has numerous cranes on the job site at any given time, performing work for general contractors and subcontractors alike.
Immediately noticeable are two tower cranes. For the first-base side condos, ALL has employed a Terex SK 415 with 188-foot final hook height and a 197-foot jib. A Potain MD 485 is constructing the third-base side apartments, with a final hook height of 185 feet and a 262-foot jib. A third tower is also planned for the site, a self-erecting Potain Igo T 85 A, which will be used to construct an ancillary structure known as building B. It will have a final hook height of 89 feet and a 148-foot jib.
In addition to the towers, ALL is providing a full complement of ground cranes.
“We’re pleased to work on a project that will redefine Downtown Knoxville for generations to come,” said Mike Bartholomew, sales rep for ALL Crane Rental of Tennessee. “Our branch has a fantastic relationship with Denark and, consequently, they have entrusted us to provide lift support on a truly expansive array of work within the total project.”
The stadium has a unique roof made of timber rather than steel, known as a cross-laminated timber (CLT) roof. Not many, if any, other stadiums feature the material, making Smokies Stadium novel. Each wood section measured four feet by eight feet and weighed approximately 6,000 pounds. To pick and set the timber, ALL specified a Grove RT9130E rough terrain crane with 160 feet of main boom and a 36-foot jib. The crane, with a 130-ton capacity, required ten different setups to complete the work.
Another highly anticipated feature of the complex is the pedestrian bridge that will span the 25-foot creek culvert alongside the stadium. The 140-foot bridge will be assembled onsite and lifted into position as a single piece weighing 62,000 pounds. To accomplish this, ALL will bring in a 550-ton Liebherr LTM 1450-8.1 all terrain crane. The bridge will complete a walking path around the entire complex.
Working alongside the Potain tower is a Link-Belt LS218 crawler crane with 180 feet of main boom and 60 feet of jib. A second unit of the same model assisted the concrete subcontractor last summer.
In addition, numerous other machines have been deployed to the bustling job site. In the spring, a Link-Belt ATC-3210 all terrain crane assisted steel subcontractor Chacon Steel with construction of a concession stand. A 70-ton Liebherr LTM 1060-3.1 all terrain crane helped construct camera wells along the left field and right field lines. Also, a Liebherr LTM 1120-4.2, with a 135-ton capacity, set 100-foot tall light polls weighing 10,000 pounds each.
Work to the 6,355-seat stadium is slated to be finished in time for first pitch on opening day in spring of 2025.
