A Liebherr MK 88-4.1 mobile construction crane operated by the Ponticelli group has repaired a historic bridge in central Paris and reinstalled a damaged section of a temporary art installation. The work took place on the Pont-Neuf, where the crane restored 'La Caverne du Pont-Neuf,' an inflatable artwork by French artist JR.
The installation was created as a tribute to the wrapping of the Pont-Neuf by artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude, first installed in 1985. Roughly 120 metres long, the inflatable structure suffered damage to parts of its outer shell in early June, when violent gusts of wind and hail struck the site.
Within hours, the French lifting and industrial services company Ponticelli had developed a lifting solution. "We were on site just a few hours after the damage occurred to work out the best technical solution together with the client," said Louis-Arthur de Quatrebarbes, head of the handling and lifting agency at Ponticelli. He added that, along with repairing the tarpaulin, the team had to carry out a lifting operation safely in almost constant wind and under considerable time pressure.
As the oldest bridge in Paris, the Pont-Neuf offers limited space for work and receives a large number of daily visitors. Load-distribution plates were used to reduce ground pressure, while safety and traffic management measures allowed the operation to proceed safely.
The team had originally planned to use a larger Liebherr mobile crane, but the confined conditions led it to bring in the MK 88-4.1 instead. Its 45-metre-long trolley jib could reach all of the damaged areas, and the four-axle design made it easy to relocate from one side of the bridge to the other, where storm damage had also occurred. A short set-up time and a compact outrigger system further supported the work.
The crane cab, able to move at working height, gave the operator a clear view of the roughly 18-metre-high structure and the rope access technicians. Boom-mounted spotlights ensured optimal illumination of the work area during night-time operations.
The repairs were carried out over four night shifts. Damaged fabric sections weighing between 200 and 400 kilograms were lifted and reattached in collaboration with rope access technicians. Because the site sits in a wind corridor along the River Seine, weather conditions were monitored continuously, and the crane operator and technicians stayed in contact by radio.
Before work began, the team carried out site inspections, load calculations and collision analyses of the surrounding buildings, with a 360-degree test confirming the planned crane positioning.
For Ponticelli, the project went beyond a conventional lifting job. "We are proud to have been part of this work of art," de Quatrebarbes said, quoting JR's remark that the installation of the artwork is part of the artwork — "and so is the crane." He described the visually striking deployment of the MK crane as a magical moment.
With the Pont-Neuf project, the Liebherr MK 88-4.1 demonstrated its capabilities in demanding inner-city conditions, where heritage conservation, confined spaces and high precision come together.