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Five injured in crane collapse on Tappan Zee Bridge
| New York Daily News | - |
The
Tappan Zee Bridge became a parking lot when a construction crane
collapsed on the span injuring five people, shutting down traffic and
trapping motorists for hours.
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Tappan Zee Bridge remains closed hours after crane collapse that injured five people
Crane Collapses On Tappan Zee Bridge
NY Daily News
The mid-Hudson mess began shortly after noon when the crane in place to help build a long-awaited replacement bridge slammed across seven lanes of the crossing, damaging the busy bridge and shutting it down for hours in both directions.
“We don’t know exactly what caused the malfunction,” Gov. Cuomo said after being briefed on the incident. “Sometimes equipment breaks and sometimes accidents happen. As simplistic as that sounds sometimes that’s all there is to it.”
Cuomo said the crane was sitting on the deck of the bridge under construction and was carrying a vibratory hammer when it collapsed. He said the crane and the hammer were being used to drive pilings into earth, a routine construction procedure.
De Blasio announces crane regulations after deadly collapse
A giant crane sits on the Tappan Zee Bridge after toppling around noon on Tuesday.
(David Leibstein/AP)“When the crane collapsed it went across both sides of what we call the old Tappan Zee Bridge,” Cuomo told reporters with the bridge in the background. “Two cars had minor accidents in avoiding the falling crane, but miraculously there were no serious injuries whatsoever. No vehicle actually hit the crane. The traffic wasn’t that heavy. We were very, very fortunate that the situation wasn’t worse.”
At least three drivers and two bridge workers were injured. None of their injuries are life-threatening.
In Rockland, cars are being diverted from Interstate 87 onto the Palisades Interstate Parkway. Trucks are being routed off the Thruway at Exit 12.
Stop-work order issued at crane crash site in Lower East Side
In Westchester, drivers on Interstate 287 are being diverted onto Interstate 87.
Cars stuck on the bridge were being turned around and sent back in their direction of travel.
The giant crane collapsed during construction of a new bridge.
(David Leibstein/AP)The Army Corps of Engineers was on the ground, Cuomo said, and will inspect the span before it is opened again to traffic.
“The bridge is an old bridge,” Cuomo said. “That’s why we're replacing it in the first place. I am not comfortable opening the bridge. Even though the deck looks fine, you don’t know what's happening underneath.”
An aerial view shows the backup of traffic over the Tappan Zee Bridge.
(WABC)Drivers stuck in their cars were walking along the bridge to get a better look at the crane, some snapping pictures and posting them on social media.
“If the state of NY thinks I'm paying this Tappan Zee Bridge toll today, they are sorely mistaken,” tweeted driver Kevin Powers, who was stuck at the South Franklin Street overpass. “Going on 2.5 hours.”
The seven-lane, 3-mile cantilever bridge — the longest in New York State — opened to traffic in 1955. It was built for $81 million and designed to last 50 years.
In April 2013, after 10 years of heated debate, construction began on the new Tappan Zee Bridge, just a few yards from the old crossing. The new eight-lane bridge is designed to last 100 years and is scheduled for completion in 2018.
With Adam Shrier
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