At Williamsburg Edge Site, Giant CraneMarks Start of Prolonged Erection

Late last week, Williamsburg's condo high rise project du jour took delivery of a massive crane and began receiving truckloads of steel I-beams, marking the beginning of real vertical construction at the two-block site. As of Wednesday afternoon, a number of beams had been bolted in place to form the embryonic underpinnings of what will soon grow into two thirty-story condo towers surrounded by six-floor rental and retail buildings fronting on Kent Avenue between North 5th and North 7th Streets.

Gazing out from the imnotsayin offices, contemplating the prospect of the big crane dropping by unannounced some afternoon (through our roof), we couldn't help but wonder why neither this development - nor its next-door frenemy Northside Piers - are using respectable-looking big boy tower cranes. Instead, both sites are using old-school erector set truck-mounted crawler cranes. Is it the potential winds off the East River? The increased scrutiny of tower cranes following the tragic March 15th collapse in midtown that killed seven people? Any thoughts?

Cranes [Wikipedia]

Williamsburg Edge - Official Site [williamsburgedge.com]