northface
12-05-2006, 11:47 PM
BELLEVUE -- A third construction crane in Bellevue is now under scrutiny after inspectors found a large crack on the crane.
Safety technicians discovered a two-foot hairline crack Sunday in a weld in the top mast section of a tower crane operating at the Braven Project, located at NE 112th Street and 8th Avenue Northeast in Downtown Bellevue.
Skanska, the company managing the construction site, says that although the crack appears to be minor, their safety policy mandated that the crane be shut down. Other work on the site has not been affected.
Engineers inspected the crack Monday and said while it is in need of repair, it does not pose an immediate safety concern. Repairs were scheduled for Tuesday.
The crane will not be operational again until the repairs are approved by professional inspectors and the crane's owner.
"Safety is our number one priority," said Skanska Vice President Tony Stewart. "We will not resume crane operations until everyone involved feels we have a safe solution in place."
The discovery of this latest damaged crane comes after two other incidents involving Bellevue construction cranes.
On November 16th, a construction crane toppled into several nearby buildings, killing Microsoft Attorney Matt Ammon when the boom sliced through his apartment.
The cause of that collapse crane collapse has not yet been determined and the investigation is ongoing.
And on Saturday, crews dismantled a 200-foot tall construction crane into pieces after inspectors found four long vertical cracks in the support structure at the Bellevue site.
The contractor, Washington Hanover, suspended work after finding the cracks at the site where apartment and retail complexes are under construction.
Safety technicians discovered a two-foot hairline crack Sunday in a weld in the top mast section of a tower crane operating at the Braven Project, located at NE 112th Street and 8th Avenue Northeast in Downtown Bellevue.
Skanska, the company managing the construction site, says that although the crack appears to be minor, their safety policy mandated that the crane be shut down. Other work on the site has not been affected.
Engineers inspected the crack Monday and said while it is in need of repair, it does not pose an immediate safety concern. Repairs were scheduled for Tuesday.
The crane will not be operational again until the repairs are approved by professional inspectors and the crane's owner.
"Safety is our number one priority," said Skanska Vice President Tony Stewart. "We will not resume crane operations until everyone involved feels we have a safe solution in place."
The discovery of this latest damaged crane comes after two other incidents involving Bellevue construction cranes.
On November 16th, a construction crane toppled into several nearby buildings, killing Microsoft Attorney Matt Ammon when the boom sliced through his apartment.
The cause of that collapse crane collapse has not yet been determined and the investigation is ongoing.
And on Saturday, crews dismantled a 200-foot tall construction crane into pieces after inspectors found four long vertical cracks in the support structure at the Bellevue site.
The contractor, Washington Hanover, suspended work after finding the cracks at the site where apartment and retail complexes are under construction.
