A road closure is in effect in Jersey City on Thursday night as the Hudson & Manhattan Railroad Powerhouse building has sustained structural cracks.
The visible cracks in the tower are believed to have been caused by vibrations from nearby commuter rail lines, Jersey City Mayor James Solomon’s office said in a statement.
A contractor has installed vertical stabilization straps along the exterior of the building to secure the structure. However, some of the straps have started to loosen, creating potentially unsafe conditions, officials said.
Cold temperatures and strong winds make these conditions even more unsafe, the mayor’s office said.
Greene Street has been shut down near the intersection of Bay Street and the area has been designated as a potential collapse zone. Southbound traffic on Greene Street is being rerouted onto Bay Street.
The closure will remain in effect until the building is fully secured. The Office of Emergency Management was on the scene on Thursday conducting an aerial drone assessment.
The Powerhouse, built between 1906 and 1908, was designed to provide electricity to trains, tunnels and stations on both sides of the Hudson River. In 2001, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.