USA TODAY International Edition
People jump from bridge as crane collapses
A construction WHITE PLAINS crane collapsed onto the Tappan Zee Bridge on Tuesday, shutting down travel in both directions on the span that crosses the Hudson River in New York.
Police said people jumped from the seven- lane bridge as the crane, which was being used to drive pilings for a $ 4 billion new bridge, slammed down around noon ET.
Five people were injured — three drivers and two bridge workers, Rockland County Executive Ed Day said.
Workers were cutting up the crane to remove it so that the crossing could be reopened, said South Nyack- Grand View Police Chief Brent Newbury. He said he expects “a traffic nightmare.”
The span connects Rockland and Westchester counties. A new Tappan Zee Bridge is being constructed several yards north of the existing bridge and is scheduled to be completed in 2017.
In Rockland, cars were diverted from Interstate 87 onto the Palisades Interstate Parkway. Trucks were being detoured at Exit 12.
In Westchester, drivers on Interstate 287 were diverted onto Interstate 87.
“One of the questions is how much if any structural damage did it cause to the bridge and how do they get the crane lifted?” said Rockland Sheriff’s Chief William Barbera. “There might be long- term damage and might take hours to open the bridge.”
Drivers stuck in traffic on the New York State Thruway in Rockland County said they saw various emergency personnel, including an ambulance and firetruck.
Diana Cortez, the Tarrytown, N. Y.- area director for the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, said her agency had sent two inspectors to the scene.
“It’s not going to wrap up today, that’s for sure. I have no idea” when it might, she said.
Greenburgh Supervisor Paul Feiner said that oversight of the massive project needs to be reviewed. “Everybody who goes over the bridge expects that they are going to be able to travel safely. ... It’s unacceptable for any accident to occur on a construction project like this.”