The next steps for a weakened NYC high-rise are up in the air. Here’s what’s happening now – and what could come next | CNN

Crews are expected to finish emergency shoring of a Midtown Manhattan high-rise by Thursday, the building’s developer says. But the timeline and next steps in the “unusually ambitious” construction project remain unclear as investigators try to figure out what caused support columns to buckle on the 21st floor. One outside structural engineer told CNN a “partial demolition” of the building might be needed before construction can resume on what the developer calls the largest office-to-apartment conversion in New York City history. While the developer says no part of the building was ever at risk of collapsing, that assertion contrasts with statements Tuesday from city officials, who described the building as unstable and established a formal “collapse zone” around it. Union workers spotted the crumpled support beams Tuesday and helped people evacuate, a union spokesperson said. Now they and other New Yorkers wonder when it will be safe to return. Sean Dow, a shop steward with Steamfitters Local 638, said at a Thursday news conference that he first saw cracks in the slab on the 22nd floor before going down a floor and spotting the bending columns. “I was there with a