Cleaning up Astoria streets Ban for LIC crane
company following death Expansion aims to keep roads neat, stop long-term parking
BY MARK HALLUM
A crane operating
company based in Long
Island City has been order
by the city Department of
Buildings to halt work at 21
construction sites claiming
unsafe practice and following
the death of a worker
in April.
United Crane and
Rigging has been deemed
responsible for not only the
fatal incident in Manhattan
four months ago, there was
also an accident on July 30
involving their equipment
at a NYCHA facility. Now
the DOB is telling United
they have to pay up in fines
and restore personnel who
oversee safety.
Of the 21 sites where
United Crane and Rigging is
currently operating, one is
located near Queens Plaza at
28-01 Jackson Ave.
When QNS reached out to
the company, a representative
simply said, “No comment.”
Ashraf Omran, the
executive director of the
DOB’s Cranes and Ladders
Unit, issued a letter ordering
the immediate Cease Use for
the 21 job sites, claiming the
company will need to replace
engineering and supervisory
staff approved by the agency
before the order can be
lifted along with regular
reports filed.
The DOB said an
investigation of the July
30 incident showed crane
operators exceeding the
capacity of their equipment
by 7,000 pounds, leading to
the boom falling apart.
“DOB’s investigation
of the FDR Drive incident
revealed that the crane’s
operator lifted a load of steel
beams that weighed more
than 4,400 pounds, exceeding
the crane’s permitted lifting
capacity of 3,700 pounds,” a
DOB statement read. “The
total load weight caused
the crane’s boom to bend
and partially collapse. The
collapse of the boom caused
the operator to lose control
of the load, which struck the
roof and side of the building
before falling to the ground.
The load of steel was intended
to be placed on top of the
building to support future
mechanical equipment.”
The DOB has issued
five violations against
the company totaling
$110,000 each.
The construction
worker killed April 13
was identified by PIX11
as Gregory Echevarria, 34,
who was a father of four and
a war veteran. Echevarria
was working alongside his
brother in a crew when a
crane counterweight may
have slipped and struck
him.
There were slew of
complaints lodged in the
property records of the
DOB for the Bleecker Street
address in SoHo.
Reach reporter Mark
Hallum by email at mhallum@
schnepsmedia.com or by
phone at (718) 260–4564
BY MAX PARROTT
After years of advocacy
from neighborhood civic
organizations and local
representatives, the city’s
Department of Transportation
(DOT) and Department of
Sanitation (DSNY) announced
Monday that it will implement
new alternate side parking
regulations in western areas
of Astoria.
The Old Astoria
Neighborhood Association
(OANA) has been leading
the charge to put these
regulations in place. Richard
Khuzami, presidents of the
OANA, believes that the
street cleaning system will
contribute help beautify the
neighborhood and cut down on
long-term parking for drivers,
thereby opening up more spots
for the residents.
The new system will provide
cleaning once per week on
both sides of the street. Once
the sign changes are complete
throughout the entire area,
the new regulations will
take effect, with advance
public notice before
enforcement resumes.
The bounds of the area
where the DOT will implement
the street cleaning are
as follows:
• North: Astoria Park South
(included) from Shore Road to
21st Street.
• East: 21st Street (not
Photo via Google Maps, map courtesy of OANA
included) from Astoria
Park South/Hoyt Avenue
to Broadway.
• South: Broadway
(included) from 21st Street to
Vernon Boulevard.
• West: East River
from Broadway to Astoria
Park South.
These changes do not affect
8 a.m. to 6 p.m. rules, parking
meters, or any rules which are
not street cleaning regulations.
For more information, call
311 or visit the Department
of Sanitation’s website at
www.nyc.gov/dsny.
Street cleaning regulations
in surrounding parts of
the Astoria community
are temporarily suspended
until the DOT installs signs
displaying the new rules.
Reach reporter Max
Parrott by email at mparrott@
schnepsmedia.com or by
phone at (718) 260-2507.
Photo via Getty Images
TIMESLEDGER is published weekly by Queens CNG LLC, 41-02 Bell Boulevard, Bayside, NY. 11361, (718) 229-0300. The entire contents of this publication are copyright 2018. All rights reserved. The newspaper will not be
liable for errors appearing in any advertising beyond the cost of the space occupied by the error. Periodicals postage paid at Flushing, N.Y.. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the TimesLedger C/O News Queens
CNG LLC. 41-02 Bell Boulevard, Bayside, N.Y. 11361.
TIMESLEDGER, A 2 UG. 16-22, 2019 QNS.COM
/schnepsmedia.com
/schnepsmedia.com
/dsny
/dsny
/QNS.COM
