Once it's assembled, the mobile crane will stand at 100-feet tall and be able to hoist huge metal container cargo from barges to trucks…and vice-a-versa.
Up till now, the port has only been able to handle bulk lose cargo…such as rice and cement.
Port Manager Mike Luken says as a result, the number of big rigs on the congested I-80 corridor between West Sacramento and Oakland will go down...which will help clean up the air.
"It will essentially reduce that truck trip down to a shorter trip here in the Sacramento region. So instead of a 100 mile trip, it'll be a local trip for that container which will reduce the overall emissions for that truck."
Luken says the ability to handle container cargo means a busier port and more jobs. The $5 million crane is paid for with federal stimulus money.