The lower Manhattan neighborhood shocked by a massive crane collapse last Friday is slowly returning to business as usual as investigators start examining the crawler crane inside a Brooklyn yard.
Crews were still trying to repair crushed pipes underground and repave damaged streets and sidewalks at Worth and West Broadway in Tribeca, and gas and water only resumed Monday morning.
Neighborhood restaurant Landmarc was forced to stay shut during the busy weekend because "you can't cook food or wash dishes," said owner Jules Bianciardi.
But now, he says, "we are absolutely open for lunch and dinner."
Meanwhile, the 565-foot-long mangled crawler crane that collapsed there is now in 35 pieces inside a Brooklyn yard guarded by police, set to undergo a forensics examination.
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Sunday the city is implementing new crane protocols effective Monday, requiring that tall crawler cranes go into safety mode whenever the forecast predicts winds of 20 mph or more. Previously, the threshold was 30 mph or more.
Crawlers like the crane involved in the collapse are mounted on an undercarriage with tank-like caterpillar tracks to provide mobility.
The city will also require increased efforts to keep pedestrians off the street in areas where large cranes are being operated, and residents will be informed before cranes in their area are moved, de Blasio said.
Crane operators say they're paying close attention.
"I think the mayor is doing the right thing until everybody gets their ducks in a row, lowering wind restrictions. Everybody's adhering to it," said Jim Fennekohl, a 22-year veteran crane operator. "Safety first. It's what we're taught."
Fennekohl said he's worked with the man who was operating with the crane when it collapsed.
He "is doing as good as he can be," he said. "He went through a rough day. He came to work and nobody here wants anybody to die."
The operator was bringing the 565-foot boom down when it collapsed. Fennekohl said the operator could have bailed out of the cab but "he stayed in that seat, put his life at stake to protect the public."
"He swung that crane to the street where it didn't hit those buildings adjacent to the job he was doing," he said. "For us, Kevin is a hero."
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A funeral was held Sunday for David Wichs, the 38-year-old Wall Street worker killed in the crane collapse. A a mathematical whiz who graduated from Harvard University, Wichs was eulogized as a man of kindness and generosity.
He lived on the Upper West Side with his wife, Rebecca Guttman.
City officials say it could take weeks or even months to determine why the crane collapsed while it was being lowered during strong winds. Three other people were struck by debris and injured in the accident Friday.
