The Nova Scotia government has released new photos taken from inside the site where a crane toppled onto a building in downtown Halifax.
The province says the photos were taken this week during an assessment of the site on South Park Street.
They show the mangled crane snaking through parts of the building. It appears the concrete floor was shattered by the structure, and officials say there is a significant amount of debris, scaffolding and wiring, which is adding to the complexity of the crane’s removal.
The province says there is concern that moving one section of the crane could cause an unpredictable movement of debris or other material in another area of the site.
“Work continues to advance the design and workplan of the crane removal. This is the first time this type of project has been undertaken in the province,” said the government in a news release.
“Public safety continues to be the driving force of all planning decisions.”
Workers were on site Thursday to perform 3D scanning of the building, which will help the engineers finalize their approach. They are expected to return to the site Friday.
The crane collapsed at the height of post-tropical Dorian on Sept. 7, crashing onto a building under construction on South Park Street.
A section of South Park Street has been blocked to pedestrians and vehicles since the incident, while dozens of residents and a number of businesses were forced to evacuate the area. A mandatory-evacuation order remains in place.
Last week, the province declared a localized state of emergency in part of downtown Halifax in order to speed up removal of the crane.
Labour Minister Labi Kousoulis said the step shifted the liability for potential damage during the crane's removal to the province.
He said this was necessary because it was taking the building's developer and the crane's owner too long to get private insurance.
The province says it will make every effort to recover the costs to remove the crane, but that it’s too soon to say who will pay for its removal.
With files from The Canadian Press
