Even the Eiffel Tower would be dwarfed by a pair of new suspension towers near Shanghai. The 346.5-meter-high structures are some of the tallest of their kind in the world, and their sole purpose is to carry power lines over the Yangtze Kiang River. Access for maintenance posed unique design challenges, and the solution was to install a specially adapted Alimak SE 400 FC industrial lift in each tower. This lift system saves crews from having to climb structures that are taller than all but a dozen or so of the world's highest buildings. The Alimak lifts carry maintenance staff 330 meters up to the highest access levels of the towers at a steady speed of 0.8mps, so the journey takes just seven minutes. The only other way up involves climbing a dizzying spiral staircase that winds around the lift's core structure.
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