The boom on a crane at a skyscraper under construction on West 57th Street was collapsing.
As the winds in New York City intensified on Monday afternoon, the crane at a luxury skyscraper under construction at 157 West 57th Street was knocked off and was dangling precariously more than 80 stories above the ground.
- [h=6]Near Landfall, Storm Pounds East Coast (October 30, 2012)[/h]
[h=4]Connect with NYTMetro[/h]
Follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook for news and conversation.
[h=6]Michael Appleton for The New York Times[/h]A crane hangs from a residential tower under construction ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Sandy.
More than 100 police and firefighters rushed to the scene shortly after 2:30 p.m. and cordoned off surrounding blocks from spectators who withstood a buffeting mist to gawk and take pictures. Several nearby buildings and a hotel were being evacuated, officials said.
The tower, known as One57, is to be the city’s tallest building with residences and perhaps its costliest, with duplexes being offered for $90 million.
“We heard a big noise, and we didn’t know what it was,” said Victor Font, 40, who was eating lunch at Rue 57, a restaurant that looks out onto the high-rise building. They rushed outside and saw the huge crane drooping over the street. As the police rushed to the scene, he said, his first thought was: “What are they going to do? How in the world will they bring that down?”
At 3:15 p.m., the wind started growing stronger, police officers began to widen the evacuation corridor, pushing pedestrians back to Fifth Avenue.
Robert LiMandri, the city’s buildings commissioner, had ordered all exterior work at construction sites throughout New York suspended as of 5 p.m. Saturday.
Buildings Department officials said they would be performing random spot-check inspections of construction sites here to ensure all equipment is secured.
Generally, when winds are above 30 miles per hour, crane operations must stop, according to the buildings department. When there are sustained winds above 35 m.p.h., contractors must make efforts to secure their cranes.
It was unclear how the crane at One57 was secured.
It was also unclear how it will be safely brought down now that it is damaged. One police official at the scene said city officials would most likely consult with the construction company before taking any action.
Gary Barnett, whose development company is behind the project, could not immediately be reached for comment.
When it is complete, the building will be 1,005 feet high.
There were no immediate reports of injuries.
Because of the unusual nature of this hybrid storm, winds are expected to be stronger at higher elevations than on the ground. In the city, there are forecasts that there could be gusts of more than 100 m.p.h. measured at the top of skyscrapers.
