The Latest: Experts investigate crane collapse on NY bridge

NEW YORK – The Latest on a crane collapse at the Tappan Zee Bridge in New York (all times local):

2:05 p.m.

State and federal officials are investigating what caused a huge construction crane to collapse across the busy Tappan Zee Bridge north of New York City.

The collapse blocked traffic on the vital Hudson River crossing for hours Tuesday and damaged the highway, but no one was seriously injured.

The state Department of Labor and the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration are among the agencies investigating the accident.

All but one lane of the bridge was back in operation Wednesday.

The crane was one of 28 being used to construct a new Tappan Zee Bridge adjacent to the old one.

Its boom is 250 feet long. Construction officials say the crane was less than a year old.

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12:15 a.m.

Most of the lanes of the Tappan (TAP’-uhn) Zee Bridge north of New York City have reopened after a crane collapsed across the entire width of the bridge, but transportation officials are still advising motorists to plan for extra delays.

A crane boom from an adjacent bridge project crashed down across the key Hudson River crossing Tuesday, halting traffic for hours.

Transportation officials announced Tuesday night that six of the seven lanes on the bridge had reopened ahead of schedule and that the one remaining southbound lane would remain closed until further notice.

No cars were hit when the crane collapsed and no one was seriously hurt.

Officials say the crane was performing routine work on the new Tappan Zee Bridge, and that it’s unclear what caused its boom to fall on the old bridge.