Early in the construction phase, they were the only things you could see from afar – four tower cranes perched high above the skyline marking the place where the 12-storey South Niagara Hospital building would eventually sit.
They’ve been working hard over the last two years, moving supplies and helping construction advance to the ninth floor of the building. As construction marked the two-year milestone, it came time to bid farewell to two of our trusted tower cranes, a sign of progress for the project.
Watch the time-lapse video from September 2025 to see construction progress.
Hospital Highlight:
There are currently more than 800 workers on-site daily, helping to progress construction at a rapid pace. When construction reaches its peak, it is expected there will be more than 1,000 workers daily.
Construction has advanced to a point where four cranes are no longer needed, partially because the footprint of each floor is small enough at the higher levels that we’re no longer moving as much material, and also because two of the four cranes could not be raised high enough to clear the building height. There are now also four hoists on the site, which are essentially elevators used to bring workers and materials to the various floors. They’re able to relieve some of the workload that was previously handled by the cranes.
The building’s increasing height has become a key factor impacting one of the remaining cranes. In early August, crane #1 was positioned around Level 11. It has since been elevated to a height equivalent to Level 15 - if the building extended that high.
“Construction is progressing to higher levels, and if we don’t raise the crane, it will collide with the structure,” explained Manny Bairos, General Superintendent at EllisDon, as crews prepared for the lift. The crane has now been successfully raised, enabling work to continue on the final three floors.
Learn more about the South Niagara Hospital Project in the latest issue of the Project Newsletter
