Crane part makes wrong turn into the Liberty bridge

A truck carrying a large piece of a crane smashed into the Liberty St. pedestrian bridge last Saturday morning, briefly closing the bridge and the southbound lanes of West St.

No one was injured, and the bridge was cosmetically but not structurally damaged, said Glenn Guzi, a program director with the Port Authority.

The truck driver was working for the Port Authority at the World Trade Center site and was supposed to move the crane piece from the west side of the site to the east side. He exited the W.T.C. site at the corner of West and Vesey Sts. and was instructed to turn right onto northbound West St., Guzi said. He had enough room to clear the Vesey St. pedestrian bridge and then circle around to deliver the crane to the other side of the W.T.C. site.

Instead, “for reasons that really escape us,” Guzi said, the driver turned left onto southbound West St. and headed toward the Liberty St. bridge, which was too low for the crane to clear. The driver received a ticket, Guzi said.