Thruway Authority: I-87 reopens after crane hanging over Major Deegan Expressway deemed safe
The closure created a backup onto the Cross County and Saw Mill River Parkways in Yonkers.
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Part of I-87 is now reopen for traffic after a crane hanging over the Major Deegan Expressway has been deemed safe by fire officials, according to the Thruway Authority.
The FDNY responded to a water main break at a construction site on Broadway and Van Cortlandt Park South in the Bronx Wednesday morning. There was a large crane located at that site. Concerns quickly grew about it potentially collapsing.
Fire officials said their main worry was the water entering the construction site. They said when water gets into these areas, they get concerned with undermining of the footing for the crane.
The crane has since been deemed safe and stable by fire officials. Emergency crews initially cleared the area of foot and car traffic to be safe while they awaited the information on the crane's stability.
The road closures caused significant travel delays in Yonkers and southern Westchester County.
"Bad news all the way up, traffic was backed up for miles," says Rockland County resident Mariano Frazier.
The Saw Mill River and Cross County Parkways were heavily backed up during the evening rush hour commute.
"I was stuck between 45 minutes and 1 1/2 hours, very bad, I don't think these people are going to get out of here in a couple hours," said Jose Lantigua, who lives near the Bronx/Yonkers border.
Conditions finally improved for travelers around 7 p.m. Wednesday.
