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Most lanes of bridge reopen after crane collapse outside NYC

Chopper 4 hovers over the site of a crane collapse on the Tappan Zee Bridge Tuesday.

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The crane was sprawled across lanes in both directions on the bridge, which spans Rockland and Westchester counties.

The new Tappan Zee Bridge, which will feature eight lanes and a bike lane as well as a pedestrian path, is expected to be completed by 2018 at a cost of $3.9 billion.

Two workers were also injured, but none of their injuries were believed to be serious, according to NBC New York.

Otherwise, commuters are again crossing the bridge in both directions.

Westchester-bound traffic is building as this morning’s rush heats up.

Brian Solomon, one of the drivers stuck on the bridge, said that hundreds of people got out of their cars to gawk.

The bridge connects Westchester and Rockland counties north of New York City. Commuters can also cross the Hudson River on the ferry between Ossining and Haverstraw.

NJ Transit had been cross-honoring train tickets and bus passes on its Pascack Valley line, but at 6:30 a.m.it issued an alert saying it was no longer cross-honoring those.

Traffic in the region was a nightmare Tuesday after the entire bridge was shut down around noon for more than five hours.

Transportation officials announced Tuesday night that six of the seven lanes on the bridge had reopened ahead of schedule and that the one remaining southbound lane would remain closed until further notice.

Eyewitnesses said the crane started falling slowly, and then literally crashed down onto the highway.

The crane halted traffic in both directions, and authorities said the bridge would be closed indefinitely as crews work to clean up the wreckage.

The southbound right lane sustained significant damage, officials said, and it was not known when it would reopen.

Four people suffered minor injuries, James Allen, director of communications for Governor Andrew Cuomo, tweeted.

Rockland County Executive Ed Day said earlier Tuesday that the crane operator was shaken but not hurt.

It’s not clear what caused the towering red boom fell over onto a barge before crashing across all lanes of the current span. State police said that at least one auto was hit by debris sparking a small wreck. Day says three drivers who swerved to avoid the crane were injured but not seriously.

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It was “nothing short of a miracle” that the injuries and damage were not worse, he said.

Crane collapse closes all lanes on Tappan Zee Bridge