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Falling Ice Is Forcing Street Closures Near Columbus Circle
By
Sydney Pereira
Published Dec 19, 2019
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By
Sydney Pereira
Published Dec 19, 2019
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In case the snow squall wasn't extreme enough for you this week, chunks of ice are falling from Midtown buildings and forcing streets to be closed off to pedestrians and drivers.
West 58th Street between Seventh Avenue and Broadway, Broadway between West 57th Street and Columbus Circle, and Seventh Avenue between West 59th and West 57th streets were closed off to pedestrians and drivers due to the falling ice Thursday afternoon, according to the Department of Emergency Management's spokesperson Omar Bourne.
The street closures were in place a day after falling ice at various buildings in Midtown had been reported to police this week.
In the same area, a chunk of ice fell on a woman's head, badly injuring her Wednesday, according to the New York Post. The city shut off streets after that incident, hours before a snow squall struck the city with a short-lived blanket of snow.
No injuries had been reported from falling ice Thursday, according to a Fire Department spokesperson.
Dodging sharp icicles and "softball-sized chunks" of ice is a "game" New Yorkers get to "play" every winter, with pedestrians sometimes injured from the projectiles.
Property owners are required to ensure their buildings don't have such dangerous conditions — like falling icicles and snow masses — on their buildings, according to the Department of Buildings.
"During melting snow and ice conditions, the Department is reminding all builders, contractors, and property owners to secure their properties from hazardous conditions," the department wrote in a tweet.
Dangerous Ice Condition @CitizenApp
W 58th St, btw 7th Ave & Broadway 1:41:42 PM EST
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street closures
midtown
falling ice
winter
Sydney Pereira
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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