The cherry picker hangs above Tower One at Barangaroo. Source: supplied.UPDATE: A 4-tonne cherry picker hanging 51 floors above Barangaroo has been retrieved, nearly 24 hours after it became stuck on the development’s Tower One.
Andrew Wilson, managing director of Barangaroo for developer Lendlease announced shortly after 3pm that the load on the crane at Barangaroo Tower One has now been safely lowered.
“Safety is always our number one priority and the precautionary exclusion zone remains in place with traffic management along the closed section of Hickson Road. We apologise for the inconvenience this matter has caused,” he said.
Earlier on Wednesday, authorities were warning people to avoid the streets around the massive Sydney harbourside development, after
a crane malfunction yesterday, lead to evacuations and road closures as the cherry picker hung 51 floors above the street atop the 217-metre high Tower One. No one was injured during the incident. The crane appeared to buckle in places, leaving its load hanging above the street.
Hickson Road and Sussex Street have been closed, and there is no access to Napoleon Street from Kent Street. Authorities are telling cars and pedestrians to avoid the area. Buses have also been diverted.
Wynyard Walk and Sussex St bridge are both open, allowing pedestrian access to Barangaroo. The Napoleon St bridge is closed.
SYDNEY: Traffic's heavy around Hickson Rd – it's closed because of a crane breakdown. No access to Napoleon St from Kent St. Avoid the area.
— Live Traffic Sydney (@LiveTrafficSyd) November 8, 2016
The traffic and pedestrian exclusion zones are around the construction area only. Barangaroo’s retailers and restaurants remain open.
A spokesperson for Barangaroo developer Lendlease said the exclusion zone had been set up as a precaution while they determine what to to do resolve the issue. The crane and its load were secured overnight.
“We continue to work with a team of crane experts on the process to safely lower the load and remove the crane from the roof of Barangaroo Tower One,” they said.
Here’s what people saw of the site as they headed to work this morning.
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