Solution to removing dangling NYC crane: getting another crane

NEW YORK (CNN) -- To remove a storm-battered crane that continues to dangle perilously over Midtown Manhattan, city officials are contemplating a somewhat obvious solution to a now well-publicized problem: Get another crane.

Since Tuesday, engineers have been inside the One57 building on West 57th Street, where gale force winds toppled a crane boom some 90 stories above New York City.

The peculiar scene has since left many New Yorkers peering skyward as authorities secured the area and evacuated nearby buildings, including the posh Le Parker Meridien hotel.

But Wednesday, Mayor Michael Bloomberg addressed the issue head on, saying engineers will "have to construct another crane on top of it in order to take down this one."

The city's next step, he said, is to shrink the emergency zone in the surrounding areas after better securing the menacing structure, which continues its slight sway high above the city.

Engineers will be "tying the boom to the building so that they can then work around the top of it" and have placed safety netting around the building, Bloomberg said.

After that comes the new crane boom, which will extract the damaged one.

The whole process could take weeks, the mayor said.

The crane, damaged Monday afternoon, sits atop a building that is planned to be among the tallest residential structures in Manhattan, offering views that potentially range from Central Park to the city's Financial District.

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