DETROIT (WXYZ) — The pedestrian bridge over East Grand Boulevard at the old Packard Automotive Plant has collapsed.
A photo of the damage was posted by HistoricDetroit.org on Twitter Wednesday.
A security guard who monitors the plant says he saw bricks falling from the bridge in the morning, and by about noon the complete structure had collapsed.
The Packard Plant bridge over the Boulevard has collapsed in #Detroit. #breaking pic.twitter.com/dfuRMAaMpF
— HistoricDetroit.org (@HistoricDET) January 23, 2019
The city has released the following statement on the incident:
"Today, a portion of the Packard Plant pedestrian bridge collapsed over East Grand Boulevard. No injuries have been reported and the affected portion of the road has been shut down by the Detroit Police Department. "Our first priority is to ensure the area is made safe for the public and the roadway is reopened as soon as possible. The City is taking the lead on clearing debris and inspectors from the Buildings Safety Engineering and Environmental Department and Detroit Building Authority are on scene to assess this situation. We are making plans to bring in a contractor to remove the debris as quickly as possible."
Detroit fire officials were on the scene investigating.
According to the city of Detroit, the removal of the bridge will be performed by the Detroit Building Authority, which is contracted with Blue Star Demolition. Workers began assessing damages Wednesday evening. On Thursday morning crews are expected to begin the process of removing the bridge structure previously connecting the two buildings. They'll also be removing debris from the roadway and surrounding areas.
There's no estimate for when demolition will be completed.
"The first priority is the safety of the workers and the public," a press release from the city states.
The roadway will remain closed until work is done, and security will be on site to ensure that unauthorized individuals don't enter the area.
