The aftermath of the Ann Street collapse

The collapse of the parking garage that killed the garage’s manager has turned into a blocks-wide construction zone, and has dozens evacuated from their homes and buildings. Add to that existing construction projects and permanent sidewalk bridges and the result is hardly a clear sidewalk in the neighborhood. It’s crazy over there.

As of today, the city was still pulling cars off the site with giant cranes; Ann Street between Nassau and William is closed, as is Nassau between Fulton and Beekman. And several buildings have a vacate order:

  • 55 Ann Street (Full Vacate Order)
  • 49 Ann Street (Full Vacate Order)
  • 47 Ann Street (Partial Vacate Order)
  • 33 Beekman Street (Partial Vacate Order)
  • 27 Beekman Street (Full Vacate Order)
  • 19 Beekman Street (Full Vacate Order)

At the parking garage at 27 Beekman, immediately behind 57 Ann, DOB engineers have given permission for people to retrieve their cars there from 7p to midnight. And Pace has decided to close 161 William, on the corner with Ann, for the remainder of the spring semester due to the demolition work at 57 Ann. Classes will be relocated and offices may not be used.

In addition, the DOB said that necessary shoring and bracing work at 55 Ann was completed earlier today. Work at the collapse site will continue over the coming days from 7am to 7pm each day, weather permitting, until the work is complete. The Department of Environmental Protection is conducting air monitoring for the presence of asbestos in the vicinity of the garage. All results thus far have come in below limits set by New York state and New York City. The Fire Department was on site today, hosing down the rubble as cars were pulled out.

The “work in progress” sign on the fence at Nassau said the completion date is June.

In short, the entire area is a mess. Adding to the chaos is the construction at 1 Park Row, which not only had Ann Street closed at Broadway, but seems to be using part of Broadway as a staging area for construction material. Plus work continues on Pace’s new dorm at 15 Beekman, on the corner with Nassau, which almost seems hard to believe.

A reader also wanted to weigh in on yet another perma-scaffold: the sidewalk bridge that surrounds 129 Fulton at Nassau, just around the corner from the collapse. It has been up for at least eight years, A. said, and now is compounded by the demolition work on Ann.

“With the additional road and sidewalk closures, the unnecessary and aged scaffolds cause even more traffic pattern distributions for pedestrians,” she wrote. “This is especially frustrating for people who need to use wheelchairs and strollers.”

 

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