Efforts to bring down an unstable crane teetering outside a Midtown high-rise office tower continue Monday, and the resulting road closures could last through the end of the week, construction officials said.
Several blocks in Midtown are closed in the area of West Peachtree and 13th streets as crews work to disassemble the precariously balanced crane, which malfunctioned Friday morning. Crews began the process of reinforcing it Sunday, according to Brasfield & Gorie, the Alabama-based company that owns the machinery.
Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM
Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM
“Significant progress from overnight work enabled an engineer inspection of the crane,” the company said Monday in a statement. “Following the inspection, crews moved to next steps in reinforcing the crane and moving toward the process to safely dismantle the crane.”
A mechanical failure caused the massive crane to tilt as crews were attempting to lower it Friday, officials previously said. After determining it was in danger of falling onto buildings below, Atlanta firefighters went door-to-door clearing hundreds of residents from their apartments and condos.
No one was injured in the construction mishap, and the crane operator was able to make it out safely, fire spokesman Sgt. Cortez Stafford told reporters Friday at the scene.
Two very large 600 ton and 900 ton mobile cranes have been erected on W. Peachtree St in Midtown Atlanta. They will be used to safely dismantle the tower crane that suddenly started leaning yesterday at a construction site. #Liebherr pic.twitter.com/tu7ruBIruI
— Cortez Stafford (@CortezRStafford) February 20, 2021
Nearby restaurants were encouraged not to open, and a medical office was forced to close its doors and turn away urgent care patients. Northside Medical Midtown remained closed Monday along with several surrounding businesses. In a tweet, the hospital said it could remain closed “possibly later into the week.”
UPDATE 2/21/21: Northside Medical Midtown, including the Urgent Care, will continue to be closed on Monday, 2/22, and possibly later into the week. Patients with scheduled appts are being called to reschedule or go to an alternate location. For more info: https://t.co/vl9PKtLSW5
— Northside Hospital (@NorthsideHosp) February 21, 2021
Brasfield & Gorrie on Saturday brought in two mobile assist cranes, which took hours to assemble and weigh 600 and 900 tons, respectively. It’s unclear how long it may take crews to stabilize the malfunctioning crane and dismantle it.
The company added that once that crane is in pieces, crews will need to disassemble the assist cranes.
“The processes of dismantling the crane and disassembling the equipment used in this effort will take significant time,” Brasfield & Gorrie said. “Thanks to initial reinforcement work, we are working with building management of the evacuated residential building to provide a window of time when residents will be able to safely retrieve necessary items.”
West Peachtree remains shut down between 11th and 14th streets, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center. In addition, 12th and 13th streets are blocked off between West Peachtree and Spring streets.
Brasfield & Gorrie on Sunday said West Peachtree could remain closed through the end of the week. The company did not provide an updated timeline Monday.
“Since Friday, we have been working together with building management of the evacuated residential building to make sure their residents are safe and to provide accommodations as needed during the evacuation. We remain in communication with officials, property owners and other neighbors who are impacted by this situation,” the company said.
Credit: Steve Schaefer
Credit: Steve Schaefer
Construction on the 31-story office tower at 1105 West Peachtree was nearing completion before the mishap. The 410-foot building is set to include 675,000 square feet of office space and has two confirmed major tenants, Google and the law firm Smith, Gambrell & Russell.
Crews are still working to assemble the crane that will be used to get up to the top of a skyscraper in midtown Atlanta... where they will then disassemble and take down a crane that’s dangerously leaning over W Peachtree pic.twitter.com/YCLPZte3wJ
— Christian Jennings (@CJenningsWSB) February 21, 2021
The office tower has been under construction since December 2018 and is expected to open this fall. Developers say it’s the tallest building to be constructed in Atlanta since the Great Recession.
TRAVEL ADVISORY still in place due to an Unstable Crane that has W. Peachtree St. from 11th to 14th St. shutdown. Avoid. Stick w/@wsbtv @wsbradio for updates and alternates #ATLTraffic pic.twitter.com/iYmcEytDEj
— Triple Team Traffic (@WSBTraffic) February 22, 2021
Drivers can avoid the area by using Peachtree Street, Piedmont Road or the Downtown Connector to get around the construction site as work continues.
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