NEW YORK (AP) — Residents and hotel guest were slowly allowed back onto cordoned off Manhattan streets on Wednesday after columns buckled and floors sagged at an under-construction apartment building, triggering widespread evacuations and street closures over concerns that it might collapse. Crews worked through the night to shore up a massive development at the building that used to house Pfizer’s headquarters. Mayor Zohran Mamdani confirmed Wednesday that there has been no additional movement in the building since it was deemed stable late Tuesday.“The building is stable and yet we are going to continue to prioritize the safety of all in that immediate area,” he said. Four nearby buildings remained under evacuation orders, the mayor said. Normally busy midtown streets around the construction site also remained closed.Elinor Ruskin, 94, was among those redirected by police Wednesday after trying to get through a closed block. She took it in stride.“These things happen. I don’t know if they will catch the mistake or what they will do,” she said. “Anyway, you know, this is New York City.”
While the cause of the structural issues remains under investigation, unionized construction workers took the opportunity to slam the developers for using non-union workers. They staged a protest, complete with a large inflatable rat, near the site Wednesday.
