The New York State Thruway Authority says that three lanes are now open in each direction. Two southbound lanes will be reopened by the morning, but the third southbound lane will remain closed due to damage.
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Drivers are being advised to expect delays. No cars were hit and no one was seriously hurt.
“The seven-land, 3-mile cantilever bridge – the longest in New York State – opened to traffic in 1955”.
“The crane came down right in front of me”, shaken driver Balam Arana told The Post.
No vehicles were hit by the crane. It was one of the 28 cranes that is installing pilings by using what they call a vibrating hammer.
Cuomo spoke again around 5 p.m., when he said the northbound lanes were reopening. Construction work is being carried out on the bridge.
Two construction workers and three people in their cars, who attempted to swerve out of the way, were injured during the unexpected fall. “Miraculously, there were no serious injuries whatsoever”, Cuomo said during a press conference on Tuesday. The process of getting vehicles off the bridge was underway by 1 p.m., but hundreds remained stuck on the highway for hours.
The crane crumpled from a construction platform and fell across a barge before smacking into the Tappan Zee. Southbound – Rockland to Westchester, headed towards New York City.
Messages were left with Gov. Cuomo’s office and Tappan Zee Bridge Constructors, LLC. Rockland County officials said that the crash damaged the bridge, creating a hole in its deck. It is several feet and there is also some structural damage to that lane underneath the bridge. It collapsed across the busy span it is replacing, halting traffic on the key suburban highway crossing.
Five people were hospitalized in unknown condition when a crane collapsed at 12:02 p.m., according to Rockland County emergency services.
The incident began unfolding around noon Tuesday.
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“At least one lane on the south side appears to have had significant damage, ” Cuomo said, referring to a section of concrete barrier that had been taken out by the tip of the crane. Their conditions were not immediately reported.
