Contractors secure cranes ahead of Hurricane Idalia

As ominous clouds start rolling in, general contractors and developers in St. Petersburg are securing their construction sites before Hurricane Idalia makes landfall. 

“As you all know, we have many active construction sites. Our team members have been conducting inspections and removing and securing equipment and cranes,” St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch said at a Monday press conference. 

At 400 Central, where Suffolk Construction is building the tallest luxury condo tower in the city, the team has removed the swivel top parts of the cranes. Development teams may often do this in preparation for storms if the structure is not yet tall enough to tie off to. 

Bowen Arnold of DDA Development, which is on the team behind The Nolen,  a 23-story boutique residential tower at 146 4th Ave. Northeast, said workers have also taken precautions. 

“Nolen is tied off to the 10th floor per the engineering plans. The top of the crane is un-hooked and weathervanes in the wind,” Bowen said. 

DDA, which is working on other projects in the area, has shut down all of the job sites. 

The Kolter Group, the developers of the 42-story Art House condominium tower under construction at 235 1st Ave. S., declined to comment about what actions they have taken. 

The Kolter Group is working with general contractor Coastal Construction on the Art House project. 

Meanwhile, Florida Department of Transportation crews have secured the construction equipment at the Howard Frankland Bridge. The cranes, located on the barges, were relocated, extending out from the site of the future replacement bridge and the existing one. 

As Florida prepares for #HurricaneIdalia, FDOT District Seven has opened the maximum amount of lanes within construction zones throughout the Tampa Bay region. Contractors on these projects have secured work sites, and crews are on standby ready to support our local communities. pic.twitter.com/sfhn67vbxu

— FDOT District 7 (@MyFDOT_Tampa) August 29, 2023

Howard Frankland Bridge cranes moved. Image: FDOT.