A crane used in the construction of the new Tappan Zee Bridge between New York’s Rockland and Westchester counties collapsed atop the old span Tuesday, shutting down traffic traveling on Interstate 87/I-287.
No vehicles were struck, but three people were injured while swerving their vehicles to avoid the crane and two workers were hurt, according to reports by the New York Times and WCBS.
The cause of the collapse is unknown.
The current bridge, which carries nearly 140,000 cars each day, will undergo an inspection to make sure the collapse did not impact structural integrity before allowing traffic to resume.
Built in 1955 and designed to last 50 years, the Tappan Zee’s structural integrity was already at question even before Tuesday’s collapse. Work on the new span reached the halfway point in September 2015 and is expected to be completed by 2018.
The New York State Thruway Authority reported it diverted southbound traffic off exit 12 (West Nyack/NY Route 303/Palisades Center Drive), and northbound traffic off exit 8 (White Plains/Rye/Cross Westchester Expressway.
In a press conference near the bridge, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he was grateful no one was seriously injured.
“The traffic back up is probably the biggest problem we’re dealing with and thank god that’s it,” he said.
