Crews have begun demolishing the lower eight floors of the collapsed Hard Rock Hotel in New Orleans. In October 2019, the top six floors of the then under-construction building unexpectedly crumbled, killing three construction workers and injuring over 20 people.
On Thursday, large machines chewed through rocks of concrete and sliced through thick steel cables as demolition continued. According to a 4WWL news report, some surrounding businesses were taken by surprise when parts of the structure—which would have been a parking garage and some commercial space—began to fall. The New Orleans Fire Department on Wednesday said those were "controlled collapses being done by the contractor hired."
According to 4WWL, the hope is that streets in the surrounding area can finally reopen in the near future.
In the days after the deadly collapse, Mayor LaToya Cantrell said she didn’t want a piece of the Hard Rock left standing. After the demo is complete, the space will be zoned appropriately for redevelopment, according to Cantrell.
“This is our opportunity to make sure that the owners develop a project that is credible, that they have a team in place that can do the work,” she told 4WWL.
If the demolition goes according to plan, lake bound Canal Street could be reopened by the end of February, and North Rampart Street could be reopened by April.
Source: 4WWL & Nola.com
