Georgia Dome comes crumbling down with a small glitch
The Georgia Dome came down in a ball of dust Monday morning -- but not all of it fell.
More than 300 pounds of explosives collapsed the steel in the upper ring and about 4,500 pounds of dynamite intended to crumble the concrete columns of the Atlanta institution of the last 25 years.
Photos: Georgia Dome implosion
Fans react: Thanks for the memories
When the dust cleared, two sections of the Georgia Dome's outside walls were still standing.
Rick Cuppetilli, executive vice president of lead demolition contractor Adamo Group, said those sections will be mechanically demolished.
“We have to investigate whether the charges (in those sections) went off,” he said. “If the charges went off, it’s not going to take much at all (to knock the walls down).”
Otherwise, he said, everything went as planned.
“There’s no damage on the Mercedes-Benz Stadium side and no damage on the Georgia World Congress Center side,” he said.
The new Mercedes-Benz Stadium stands about 80 feet from the Georgia Dome.
Well this is it, the time has come to say goodbye. Thanks, Atlanta. I love you all! #DomeFarewell pic.twitter.com/rlNcpWJrLP
— Georgia Dome (@GeorgiaDome) November 20, 2017
Roads around the blast site, along with three MARTA lines that run under the area are expected to remain closed for hours Monday.
About the Author
Tim Tucker, a long-time AJC sports reporter, often writes about the business side of the games. He also had stints as the AJC's Braves beat writer, UGA beat writer, sports notes columnist and executive sports editor. He was deputy managing editor of America's first all-sports newspaper, The National Sports Daily.
