The portions of the Georgia Dome that remained standing after last week’s implosion will be demolished by the end of the year, possibly with another smaller-scale implosion, the lead contractor said Tuesday.
The method of bringing down the remaining portions – a long wall on the east end and a ramp structure on the northwest corner – is still being evaluated, said Wayne Wadsworth, principal in charge of Holder Hunt Russell Moody, the general contractor responsible for Mercedes-Benz Stadium’s construction and the Dome’s demolition.
“We haven’t ruled any means or methods out yet,” he said.
The options are to again use explosives or to use heavy equipment, he said.
Decisions on the method and exact timing will be made in conjunction with various “stakeholders,” including Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the Georgia World Congress Center Authority, the city of Atlanta, MARTA and police and fire departments, Wadsworth said.
“We will be working collaboratively to continue to assess what is the safest, most expeditious method to bring those two structural elements down,” he said.
Most of the 25-year-old Georgia Dome succumbed to 4,800 pounds of explosives Nov. 20. But the two portions survived because “some of the charges did not go off,” Wadsworth said in an interview after briefing the GWCCA board Tuesday.
“We haven’t done a forensic analysis as to why, but we’ve gone through and now isolated those and made sure that they are safe,” he said. “There’s no further risk of them going off.”
If another implosion is chosen to address what’s left of the Georgia Dome, similar precautions will be taken as last week “just out of an abundance of caution,” Wadsworth said. On the morning of Nov. 20, a 600-foot perimeter was secured in every direction, and surrounding streets and some MARTA rail lines were closed.
A date hasn’t been set to demolish the rest of the Dome, but Wadsworth expressed confidence it will be down by year’s end. Schedules at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and the Congress Center will help determine the exact date.
“We’re coordinating around events, so there are timing aspects that we’ve got to work around,” Wadsworth said. “The different means and methods (of demolition) have different impacts to each one of those stakeholders, so we’re going to work together and figure out what works best for all parties.”
He said that in the meantime, the still-standing portions don’t pose a danger to pedestrians or motorists.
“We have determined there is not a risk of it falling in that direction,” he told the GWCCA board. “If there was anything to happen, it would be coming inward, it would not be coming outward.”
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