168-Foot Tower Crane Signals Construction on Shannon Medical Center West Bed Tower Expansion

Hoar Construction has started construction on the expansion of the west bed tower at Shannon Medical Center in San Angelo, Texas. The project is expected to be completed in summer 2024. Construction of the bed tower marks the first time a tower crane has been used for a project within San Angelo’s city limits. The 168-foot-high crane first appeared onsite early January and will continue to aid in construction until the concrete structure is completed.

The seven-story bed tower is an expansion of the existing hospital. Construction consists of three floors of concrete parking garage underneath four floors of patient care space. Approximately 8,609 cubic yards of concrete will be used for the project, along with 790 tons of rebar.

The project will also incorporate elements of modular construction, with 40 bathrooms being assembled in an offsite warehouse. Once complete, the bathroom pods will be shipped directly to the jobsite for easy installation, saving a significant amount of time. Additional project partners include O’Connell Robertson as the architect and MEP engineer and Datum Engineers as the structural engineer.

Tower crane FAQ
The tower crane allows the 250-foot-long jib to safely swing over nearby buildings, and whistles are used as signals to notify workers and those nearby that a load is being carried overhead. Special fencing is in place to allow for deliveries to the crane and keep pedestrians safely out of the way. Once work with the crane is done for the day, it is put in “weather vane” mode, which is an additional safety measure to ensure excessive wind loads are not imposed on the vertical column.