SYRACUSE, N.Y., — A 190-foot tower crane with a 267-foot projecting arm, or jib, is being put into place on the SUNY Upstate Medical University campus to begin placing steel for University Hospital’s Vertical Expansion, which includes the Golisano Children’s Hospital. The crane is considered to be one of the tallest in use in Central New York.

The crane is so large that it had to be put together on the construction site and cemented into the ground. The crane operator will sit in the crane’s cab located 190-feet above ground. The most significant advantage of using a crane this size is the operator’s bird’s-eye view of the construction site. With a direct view of the site, the crane operator does not need to rely on radio communications for directions, as is standard procedure for many construction projects.

The crane is a Liebherr 630 EC-H 20 Litronic.

The vertical expansion is SUNY Upstate’s most ambitious construction project since opening University Hospital in 1965. The six-story vertical expansion will rise above University Hospital’s East Wing and feature floors dedicated to oncology, cardiology and neurology services and the Golisano Children’s Hospital. One floor will be used to house heating, air conditioning and other technical systems.

A community fundraising campaign to help build the Golisano Children’s Hospital raised more than $21 million dollars, including a $6 million contribution from B. Thomas Golisano of Pittsford, N.Y. Bristol-Myers Squibb provided the campaign’s largest corporate gift, a $1 million donation to name the children’s hospital’s unique tree house lobby.

The Vertical Expansion is expected to be completed in 2009.

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