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Removal process begins at collapsed tower crane site
Multiple stakeholders have begun the extensive process of extracting a massive tower crane wedged into an adjacent office building in downtown St. Petersburg.
A sizable section of a 500-foot-tall crane at the Residences at 400 Central construction site flew into a neighboring building at 490 1st Ave. S. as Hurricane Milton’s gusts topped 100 mph. The equipment toppled into the facility that houses the Tampa Bay Times and bears the law firm Johnson and Pope’s signage.
City officials said Oct. 10 that the crane would likely continue protruding from the building for a few days. Chick Fagan, general manager for Liberty Equipment, said a removal crane arrived at the scene Tuesday and would “be operational by the end of the day.”
“We will continue to coordinate closely with the owner of the adjacent building, our third-party engineer and the City of St. Petersburg to ensure the remaining debris and tower crane sections are removed safely and efficiently,” Fagan said in prepared statements sent to the Catalyst.
“Given the number of stakeholders involved, and the importance all place on doing this work safely, it’s too early to say exactly how long the remaining cleanup will take.”
The tower crane that fell was one of three used to construct the Residences at 400 Central. Photo by Mark Parker.
Dallas-based Lincoln Property Group owns the eight-story facility on 1st Avenue South that encompasses three connected buildings. Damage resembling a bomb crater is visible from roughly the third floor to the roof of the oldest structure.
The fallen tower crane remained wedged into the office building Wednesday afternoon, nearly a week after the incident. Fagan pledged that “all parties are committed to advancing this work in a timely fashion and hope to have it complete in the coming days.”
The process, as with any structural collapse, is tedious. Crews must ensure removing bricks, beams and crane sections does not cause additional damage to the site, adjacent buildings or the street – now closed to pedestrians and onlookers – below.
Two additional large cranes, attached to semi-trucks, are now onsite. Both will assist with removing the fallen construction equipment.
Red Apple Real Estate is the development firm behind 400 Central. The luxury condominium tower will become St. Petersburg’s tallest at 515 feet when construction concludes in mid-2025.
Myriad local government and business leaders celebrated the luxury condominium tower topping out Sept. 16, just 10 days before Hurricane Helene brought 82 mph gusts and deadly flooding to the area. Milton followed 12 days later.
The project’s three cranes reached roughly 600 feet, 500 feet and 150 feet, respectively, above the bustling downtown core. Fagan said his team “confirmed the safety of the existing tower crane structure” in Milton’s immediate aftermath.
Crews also “cleaned all debris and crane parts from the job site and surrounding streets.” Fagan said that work “is now complete.” Liberty also retained an independent engineering and demolition company to help ensure the tower crane’s “safe and efficient removal.”
“We appreciate the continued support and cooperation we’ve received from the surrounding community as we recover from this devastating storm,” he added.
The smaller crane helped assemble its larger counterpart and will also assist in the extraction process. Photo by Joe Hamilton.
Boston-based Suffolk Construction is the development’s general contractor. The company, which operates an office in Tampa, subcontracted Liberty Equipment, also headquartered in Boston, to oversee crane operations.
Don Tyre, city building manager, notified 400 Central’s development team and three others overseeing high-rise projects in St. Petersburg of the impending danger as Milton broke intensification records. At an Oct. 8 emergency briefing, Mayor Ken Welch explained that crews must lower or remove tower cranes several days in advance due to the “specialized nature” of those operations.
He said that was not a “feasible solution” due to Milton’s rapid intensification and advised neighboring residents to evacuate. At the time, Tyre said 400 Central’s cranes could withstand 110 mph winds, while the remaining sites were rated up to 145 mph.
Tower cranes remained standing at the three other construction sites as Milton’s winds subsided. In April 2018, the last time the city experienced a similar incident, a falling crane at the St. Petersburg Police Department’s new headquarters nearly crushed several workers.
The city lacks regulations regarding crane safety during extreme winds. “We’re learning things that we’re going to use to update our procedures and processes going forward,” Welch said Oct. 8.
In a prepared statement, John Catsimatidis Sr., founder of Red Apple, credited the administration’s “proactive steps to notify and evacuate the area surrounding multiple developments in St. Petersburg prior to the storm.”
“These quick actions may have saved residents from injury,” he added. “I was saddened to learn about the damage to the adjacent property and the disruption to its commercial tenants.”
The firm’s leadership said partially dismantling the cranes would increase storm-related risks. They also noted that Suffolk and Liberty dismantled cranes before previous hurricanes “when time permitted.”
The development team has not identified any significant damage to 400 Central. Construction of the tower resumed Wednesday.
Dan strange
October 17, 2024at8:10 am
As evident you can not simply take down one of these ” tower Cranes”. It requires enormous planning and coordination with city planners, Just like removing the damaged crane. These types of cranes must “free-wheel” or weather vain in high winds. The large crane on the street is even restricted to 13 MPH
Hugh Hazeltine
October 16, 2024at4:48 pm
There are generators and air conditioners set up on the south side of the building that was struck. Looks like they are pumping cool air into the building.