The bridge in New York is under threat of collapse. VIDEO

The opening of the second span of the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge on Saturday was delayed after part of its predecessor, the old Tappan Zee Bridge parallel to the new structure, became unstable and nearly collapsed, officials said.

As Matthew J. Driscoll, executive director of the administration of the New York State Thruway Authority, Tappan Zi said on Saturday, was dismantled after the incident because of the prevailing "potentially dangerous situation," writes New York Times. According to Driscoll, the new part of the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge will remain closed until the government is “confident that there is no risk to the new span”.

Around 5 p.m. Friday, crew members dismantling the old bridge heard a “loud bang” from the middle of the structure. There appeared to be problems with the connecting fastenings, which in theory could have caused the old bridge to fall towards the new eastern span - the distance between them is only 160 feet (less than 50 meters), said Terry Towle, president of Tappan Zee Constructors.

Engineers inspected the old bridge, and it turned out that the new span was indeed in danger. At the moment, it is impossible to say exactly when the new part of the bridge will be opened. According to Taula, he is waiting for additional confirmation from several engineers that the old bridge has been fully stabilized.

“I’m not going to take any chances, no matter what happens,” he said.

On Saturday, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo told reporters that the day before, contractors found a damaged and rusty piece of an old bridge that could pose a potential threat to a new span.

“We want to get the movement moving as quickly as possible,” Cuomo said. “The new bridge is ready.”

Photo: twitter.com/NYGovCuomo

The Coast Guard closed part of the main federal navigation channel of the Hudson River on Friday after a structural flaw was found in a new project. On Saturday, the western part of the canal was opened to ships inspected by a patrol that ensures security along the stretch, but the eastern part remained closed due to a destabilized bridge.

Coast Guard officials have not yet commented on the situation.

The problem emerged the day after Cuomo and other dignitaries gathered at the new bridge to celebrate the planned opening of the second span. Cuomo called the new bridge evidence of "the greatness of New York," which "will show the world that we can dream and achieve great results for the people of this state."

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- Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) September 7, 2018

The first span of a new bridge, worth 4 billion dollars, was opened last year after decades of controversy over whether Tappan Zi needs to be repaired or a new bridge should be built.

The new bridge that connects Rockland and Westchester counties is a two-span suspended structure, the powerful cables of which hold steel spans attached to the tops of the corner central towers, and not on the shore.

Old Tappan Zi was closed to traffic in October and disassembled in parts. By December, both ends of the bridge had been removed so that it would not be connected to any of the banks of the Hudson River.

As the democratic primaries approached in New York on Thursday, Cuomo’s opponents took advantage of the problem and suggested that he prematurely announced the opening of the bridge. The goal was to fully open it before the end of 2018, but Cuomo hurried and said that the bridge would be opened in mid-September.

“There was no way to have a ribbon-cutting ceremony if the bridge was still not safe to span,” said Cynthia Nixon, an actress and activist who is running against Cuomo in the upcoming primary.

Photo: instagram.com/cynthiaenixon

In the same vein, the candidate for Republican Governor Markus J. Molinaro and the former mayor of Syracuse Stephanie Miner spoke.

Dani Lever, spokesman for Cuomo, made a statement: “The Mario M. Cuomo Bridge is finished and ready to receive traffic, and the actions taken by TPZ Construction were not about politics, but about public safety and caution. Anyone who tries to score political points at the expense only underlines why he is not suitable for such a position. ”

Towle said that changing plans was a blow to engineers and workers who were ready to open a new design.

“We worked our butts off to finish this east span,” he said. “The fact that the bridge sits empty waiting for traffic is confusing.”

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