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Stories From Main Street: Meet The Man Who Operates The 'I Lift NY Super Crane'

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- When he was a little boy, Ron Burgess had big dreams.

"I started operating cranes when I was 12 years old," Burgess told WCBS 880's Sean Adams.

Burgess grew up in New Rochelle, where his father let him operate a small crane and cherry picker at a marina.

"I had the option of being on actual equipment, I didn't need to get a Tonka toy, these were my Tonka toys," Burgess said. "They used to put blocks on my feet to let me reach the controls. It wasn't major things, I was only picking little sail boats up, but from that age of 12 I knew what I wanted to do."

Meet The Man Who Operates The Tappan Zee Monster Crane

Fast forward more than 30 years, Burgess has been chosen to run the "I Lift NY Super Crane" at the Tappan Zee Bridge.

"You're not going to get a bigger Tonka toy than this," Burgess said.

The crane is more than 300 feet tall and can lift 1,900 tons, or 12 times the weight of the Statue of Liberty.

The third generation crane operator has been practicing for five months and has already raised 1.5 million pounds at a 300-foot radius "with no problem at all," Burgess said.

"It's been tested beyond the work we're going to do here," Burgess said. "You don't want your head to get too big, especially what we do, it's a very dangerous job and you always have to double and triple check yourself when you're doing something."

It may have taken three decades, but Burgess has come full circle. His first job was a Tappan Zee deck replacement in 1987.

"It's an honor to be running it," Burgess said. "It's a privilege and I'm proud to be here."

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