January 27, 1998. A crane crashed into the Roosevelt Island, NY tram injuring 10. #thisdayinhistory
— NYC Dept of Records (@nycrecords) January 27, 2013
A construction crane working on the Queensboro Bridge slammed into a Manhattan-bound car of the Roosevelt Island tramway yesterday morning, terrifying commuters for a few tense moments as they feared that the wildly swinging car might plunge into the icy waters of the East River, 240 feet below.
The 8:50 A.M. accident, in which 11 of the 20 people aboard suffered minor injuries, was the third in four months involving construction at the bridge; one worker was killed there in September....
The first of the personal-injury cases stemming from the Tram-crane collision of January 24, 1998, was settled this week on the eve of a jury trial.
Manhattan Park resident George Reither was awarded $700,000....
and:
... Reither sustained injuries to his neck that ultimately required the fusing of several vertebrae and surgical implant of a metal support. His medical costs approached $100,000.
“It isn’t worth it,“ Reither said Wednesday, weighing six months of lost time, “horrendous surgery,” and a stiff neck that makes driving and other ordinary activities more difficult than before.
Recalling the accident, Reither said, “I was standing in the back of the Tram, in the southeast corner, and all of a sudden I heard a crunch. I tried to hold on as the cabin started to tip, but I went flying backwards. I noticed that I hurt my elbow. I don’t know if I broke my elbow then, but I did break it.” The plexiglas window next to Reither was dislodged and lost during the event. Reither thinks his elbow may have done it.
”I wound up landing in the middle of the Tram, probably about eight to ten feet from where I was initially, on my back, toward the center where the doors are....
More on the 1998 Tram Crane Crash from WIRE articles here and here.
A Roosevelt Island resident recently expressed concern regarding the construction of this building
Photo Taken From Roosevelt Island Tram Cabin
going up adjacent to Roosevelt Island Tram on 6oth street
Photo Taken From Roosevelt Island Tram Cabin
And the best question -- how close is "too close" ?
The Solow apartment building going up on east 60th street between First Avenue and York Avenue appears to be climbing in height till we can reach out and touch it -- or until the crane touches the north tram cabin ( which would not be the first time a crane and tram cabin had contact -- remember the FDR Drive project ?)
What assurances do RIOC and Poma have that all possible safety precautions are being taken during construction, and that this particular cabin will be safe ?
How is this 2003 Wired New York picture of the Roosevelt Island Tram Tower different
from this picture taken yesterday? Besides the fact that there are no Riverwalk buildings in the 2003 picture, the one taken yesterday had a topless Tram Tower. The Tram Top was removed by Crane workers the day before.
and the parts placed on the ground
waiting to be disassembled.
Earlier today, the Tram Tower Arms were
were hoisted up by crane to the Tower waiting for the Tops to join them later this afternoon, weather permitting.
During the June 9 RIOC Operations Committee meeting (audio webcast here) , RIOC President Steve Shane said that the work on the Roosevelt Island Tram Tower requiring the crane should be completed by today, weather permitting, and that the crane will then be barged over to Manhattan to start work on those Tram Towers next week. A barge is being used instead of truck due to the previous reported problems involving the enforcement of weight restrictions on the Roosevelt Island Bridge by the NYC Department of Transportation.
Mr. Shane also reported that he had been told by the Tram Project's vendor, POMA, that their previous estimate of a 4 week delay in the Tram resuming service (now scheduled for October 1 instead of September 1) has been shortened by a couple of days and that they hope to reduce the delay even further in the coming weeks. As Mr. Shane said about the schedule:
We Shall See.
More on earlier work at the Roosevelt Island Tram Tower and the original construction schedule for the Tram Modernization Project including shutting down traffic near the Manhattan Tram Station
Manhattan Tram Station at 2nd Avenue 60th Street
and surrounding areas as well as the Queensboro Bridge Upper Level Roadway.
Image Of Queensboro Bridge Upper Level
Just as I was about to publish this post, received this Traffic Advisory from RIOC:
Please be advised due to work being done on Tower 1 in Manhattan, the Queensboro Bridge upper Roadway will be closed from 5:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturday June 12, 2010. In addition, East 60th street will be closed on Saturday from 5:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. between the lower ramp exit and 1st Avenue.
Please review the attached notices for complete detailed information.
Due to mechanical difficulties with the crane at the Tram, the West Channel Drive from Sports Park to the Tram will remain closed until further notice. Public Safety Officers will be stationed at the site in order to direct traffic.
Sincerely,
Roosevelt Island Operating Corp Advisories Group
I asked RIOC VP Of Operations Fernando Martinez:
What are the mechanical difficulties with the Crane referenced in RIOC Advisory Below.
Any estimate as to how long the temporary traffic patterns will remain?
Mr. Martinez replied:
The computer on the crane did not allow the boom to completely retract to the folded position.
Roosevelt Island is a mixed income, racially diverse waterfront community situated in the East River of New York City between Manhattan and Queens and is jurisdictionally part of Manhattan. The Roosevelt Island Tramway, which connects Roosevelt Island to the rest of Manhattan, has become the iconic symbol of Roosevelt Island to its residents.
The Purpose of this Blog is to provide accurate and timely information about Roosevelt Island as well as a forum for residents to express opinions and engage in a dialogue to improve our community.
