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Midtown Block Closed After Ramp Falls From Construction Site: Officials

By  Ben Fractenberg and Trevor Kapp | July 12, 2017 1:11pm | Updated on July 12, 2017 3:46pm

 West 58th Street was shut off from Seventh Avenue to Broadway after some debris fell from a construction site Wednesday afternoon, officials said.
West 58th Street was shut off from Seventh Avenue to Broadway after some debris fell from a construction site Wednesday afternoon, officials said.
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DNAinfo/Trevor Kapp

MIDTOWN — A Manhattan block was closed Wednesday after a ramp fell 16 stories from a construction site, officials said.

The plate connecting an elevator and the building fell at about 12:04 p.m. when workers were pushing a 4,300-pound crate containing window panes onto the 16th floor at the back of the site at 217 W. 57th St. near Broadway, according to the FDNY, New York City Office of Emergency Management and Department of Buildings

The elevator rose after the ramp fell and the crate was then suspended between the building and elevator, FDNY Manhattan Borough Commander Roger Sakowich said at the scene. 

The windows did not fall and the ramp did not hit anyone as it crashed down onto West 58th Street.

The street was closed between Seventh Avenue and Broadway for several hours while responders worked to secure the crate. 

"We then secured the load and working along with the NYPD ESU units were able to use our equipment and theirs to secure the load and maneuver the elevator slightly back down and pull it onto the floor where it was intended to go," Sakowich said. "By that time, the crate was destroyed."

There was no indication that glass or other construction material also fell, officials said. 

A driver previously complained something fell from the site and hit his vehicle on June 20, but no violations were issued because safety netting was in place, according to the DOB's website.