More trouble at precarious crane site

From the Daily News:

The city partially halted work at an upscale residential building Monday after a crane malfunction left a 35,500-pound weight dangling above West 57th St.

The incident occurred around 9:30 a.m. as the city braced for high winds and heavy rain.

The crane was lifting the massive counterweight and was about 30 stories high when its mechanism jammed, a spokesperson for the Dept. of Buildings said.

DOB slapped the condo development at 157 West 57th St. with a partial stop work order pending a full investigation of the faulty crane.

When One57 is completed later this year it will be the city's tallest residential building at 1,004 feet. One luxury condo has already sold for $90 million.

FDNY and NYPD initially responded to the scene and closed 57th St. between Fifth and Sixth Aves for most of the day.

No injuries were reported. By 4 p.m. the counterweight had been safely lowered and the crane put out of commission until it passed a safety inspection.

The One57 site has had similar problems before. Last October a different crane at the same location came unglued during Superstorm Sandy.

The huge piece of machinery toppled during the storm and was left hanging precariously. Workers eventually dismantled the crane.