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Dec 05, 2023

IPI sends experts to unlock tower crane's brake for public safety

Reporter Department of Public Works staffers use concrete blocks and yellow tape

Reporter

Department of Public Works staffers use concrete blocks and yellow tape to close Hibiscus Lane on Tuesday.

Hibiscus Lane between Imperial Pacific International and Joeten in Garapan is closed until further notice.

TO help ensure the safety of the public, Imperial Pacific International said it sent experts to unlock the brake of one of the tower cranes on top of the unfinished IPI hotel-casino building in Garapan.

IPI said this occurred on Saturday, ahead of Gov. Arnold I. Palacios' precautionary measures that included closing Hibiscus Lane, which is between the IPI building and Joeten.

As recommended by Department of Public Works Secretary Ray N. Yumul, the governor ordered the closure of the road for safety reasons as the Commonwealth braced for Typhoon Mawar, which intensified as it approached the Marianas on Tuesday.

Jesse Aquiningoc, the former IPI worker who operated and maintained the tower cranes before construction stopped three years ago as ordered by the federal court, said IPI hired him and another worker to climb tower cranes No. 6 and No. 1 and loosen their brakes.

Aquiningoc said they tried to climb tower crane No. 1, which is facing the beach, but they were not able to do so because the rusty metal ladder fell off as soon as he set his foot on it. He and his assistant then climbed tower crane No. 6, the one facing Joeten, and loosened the brake located in the crane's turntable between the arm and the jib boom.

He said this would decrease the risk of the deteriorating tower crane collapsing during the typhoon.

Aquiningoc said now that the brake is unlocked, the tower crane's arm and jib boom will just follow the direction of the strong wind.

He said members of the public should not expect to see the tower crane spinning. "That's not the way it works," he added.

Depending on the direction of the wind, the arm and the jib boom will move either clockwise or counterclockwise and will stop as soon as the heavier part of the crane, which is the jib boom, is in front of the wind's direction.

When the direction of the wind changes, that's the time the crane and jib boom will shift positions, he said. The jib boom, he added, will always be in front of the wind's direction.

Still, Aquiningoc said members of the public should stay away from the area during the height of the typhoon.

Variety learned that a Guam-based company has offered to remove the tower cranes for $485,000. The first time the service was offered to IPI three years ago, the price was $285,000. After DPW raised safety concerns about the tower cranes in February 2022, the cost of removing them went up to $380,000.

The longer IPI waits, the more expensive it will become because the deterioration of the tower cranes increases the risk in doing the job, Variety was told.

According to the governor's declaration, members of the public must expect the following:

1) There will be a full closure of Hibiscus Lane until "all clear" is declared. Property access will be maintained at all times for Joeten delivery trucks and emergency service vehicles only.

2) Pedestrians are advised to move away from the proximity of the tower crane.

3) Signs will be put in place for proper public information.

The governor said the IPI tower crane on Hibiscus Lane poses an imminent threat to public safety so the closure was implemented at 2 p.m. Tuesday, and the road will remain closed until further notice.

Department of Public Works staffers use concrete blocks and yellow tape to close Hibiscus Lane on Tuesday.

Reporter

A bachelor of arts in journalism graduate, he started his career as a police beat reporter. Loves to cook. Eats death threats for breakfast.

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