WATCH ABOVE: Street closures as a result of the unstable antenna atop the Trump Tower have now ended, as engineers assessed the issue and determine there was no risk to public safety. Lama Nicolas reports on the traffic chaos that erupted.
TORONTO – The area surrounding the Trump Tower in downtown Toronto has been reopened to traffic and pedestrians after an unstable antenna discovered on top of the building closed streets downtown on Monday and Tuesday.
The road closures included Bay Street between Richmond and King Streets, and Adelaide Street West from Yonge Street to just west of Bay Street.
Police say structural engineers have been called in to inspect the unstable antenna mast which forced the shutdown of a portion of Toronto’s financial district.
Toronto Mayor John Tory said in a statement that city officials determined the antenna mast was “structurally sound” as roads are in the process of being reopened.
“The decision to close the roads was taken out of appropriate concerns for public safety,” Tory said, adding that workers identified a “potential concern” with the platform beneath the antenna Monday morning and reported it to police.
“The roads could not be re-opened until engineers had declared the structure sound and City Building officials had confirmed that independently.”
Tory has asked for an investigation into the incident and said he will be looking to see how the situation was handled by the property owners, city officials and agencies and whether additional accountability measures are needed.
Tory urged the owners of the building to do a better job of communicating with the city and the public and vowed to hold them accountable.
“One of the frustrations yesterday was the lack of information and when these kinds of things happen its helpful for us to have the information,” he said on Tuesday.
“I will be looking into the background of this depending on what transpires because there was a considerable cost and considerable disruption to the city that resulted from what went on in the last 24 hours.”
Police said staff at the tower reported the antenna swaying on Monday and further inspection by building and city engineers prompted the road closure.
The developer for the Trump Tower, Talon International Development, released a statement late Tuesday that said the antenna mast was not a danger to the public.
“After more than a day of extensive examination, it was determined by the various engineering specialists and consultants involved, including the fabricator of the structural steel framing, that the spire at the Trump Hotel and Residences, Toronto is structurally sound,” said Neil Labatte, President and CEO of Talon.
“There was never a risk to public safety.”
WATCH: Pedestrians look up, way up, to catch a glimpse of the antenna.
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