The red crane in the foreground is being assembled to remove the blue crane towering over the Statehouse. (Photo by Stephen Koranda)A familiar feature of the downtown Topeka skyline will vanish in the coming days. Crews will be disassembling the 360-foot-tall tower crane used during the Statehouse renovation. The crane has been in place for about three years and has hauled items like limestone blocks, roofing materials and parts of the new Statehouse dome. Statehouse Architect Barry Greis says removing the massive piece of equipment is an important step.
Greis says removing the Statehouse crane will require the use of a second construction crane. It's currently being assembled on the Statehouse grounds. That second crane will then be disassembled and trucked off-site over the next two weeks. The vast majority of work on the Statehouse will finish up before the end of this month, wrapping up the 12-year-long project that has cost more than $300 million.