Someone that goes by the YouTube handle "Dieseltmmc" has been uploading video from deep inside the 2nd Avenue subway tunnels, and the latest includes 40 case of dynamite (at 59 sticks to a case) and one "big ass blast!" But the best part comes at the end when one of the workers pulls out a cigarette and can't find a lighter. Ask the guy with the dynamite? more ›

Investigators looking into why a giant 170-foot crane collapsed and killed a worker at the 7 train extension site Tuesday night are homing in on the crane's "hoisting system." The crane was not carrying any load when the boom broke and fell apart, but a steel-wire cable of the crane snapped just moments before the accident. Officials say it had "a number of defects" in its hoisting system. more ›

[UPDATE BELOW] We just received emails from readers about an explosion/boom in Greepoint: "Huge explosion heard in Greenpoint. Can't see anything but can hear sirens and fire trucks heading to the scene. Don't know what happened. I work at Diamond St. & Meserole Ave., could feel the building shake." "I live on Monitor St near McGolrick Park. There was just a very loud boom that shook the ground. Now I hear sirens. All the neighbors are out on the street. Any idea what happened?" Did anyone else hear it? Or does someone know? We're also checking with authorities. more ›

The number of residential construction permits issued by the Dept. of Buildings in the first quarter of 2008 declined by 46% from the same period in 2007, indicating that the construction boom that has gripped the city over the last several years may be coming to an end. The decline was citywide, with fewer permits issued in all five boroughs, although the sharpest decrease occurred in the Bronx. more ›

Brownstoner has done the math and concluded that there are a ridiculous number of hotels going up near Brooklyn’s lovely Gowanus Canal. The latest new development will be a nine story Fairfield Inn on Third Avenue between Douglass and Butler streets; construction will begin once existing buildings are torn down. So that makes a future grand total of 7 hotels in the Gowanus neighborhood; three already built and four more on the way. more ›

Photos: Carol Rosegg more ›