The Tappan Zee Bridge became a parking lot Tuesday when a construction crane collapsed on the span injuring four people, shutting down traffic and trapping motorists for hours.
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 the earth, a routine construction procedure.
Cuomo said officials will investigate the cause of the accident. An official said the crane likely collapsed because of a problem with the crane, the hammer it was carrying or worker error.
“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.”
Three drivers and a bridge worker 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.
In Westchester, drivers on Interstate 287 were being diverted onto Interstate 87.
Cars stuck on the bridge were turned around and sent back in their direction of travel. Cuomo said all the vehicles had been removed from the bridge and approaches.
Hours after the incident, work crews began taking apart the metal crane to clear it from the roadway.
Engineers inspected the bridge, and found “significant damage” along the bridge’s southern-most lane. Three northbound lanes were opened shortly before 6 p.m.
Two southbound lanes were scheduled to be opened later in the evening. The damaged southbound lane will remain closed until structural damage is repaired, Cuomo said.
“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.”
Drivers stuck in their cars for more than four hours 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
