Crane Accident Shuts Down West Side Highway: Officials

HELL'S KITCHEN, NY — A crane accident has brought traffic to a standstill on the West Side Highway near the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, city and fire officials said.

The accident occurred around 10 a.m. on 12th Avenue near West 34th Street, an FDNY spokeswoman said. Firefighters are still operating on the scene and traffic in the area surrounding the convention center is being diverted, the spokeswoman said.

A crane on the construction site was hoisting a steel beam when the load knocked over a second beam on the site, a city Department of Buildings spokesman said. The collision caused both beams to collapse onto a scaffolding at the site, the spokesman said.

The construction company will use a secondary crane to remove the beams from the scaffold, a city Department of Buildings spokesman said. The West Side Highway will remain closed in both directions near the construction site until the situation is brought under control, the spokesman said.

A Department of Buildings investigation into the construction accident is ongoing.

Nobody was reported injured as a result of the accident, city and fire officials said.

Lead photo by FDNY