Union raises questions about FEMA demolition site in Iowa.

A trade union representing equipment operators at construction sites is raising questions about the safety of a Federal Emergency Management Agency demolition project in Louisa County.

The $780,000 FEMA-funded project will demolish 57 structures damaged by flooding in summer 2008. The Louisa County Board of Supervisors hired a nonunion firm from Walford to handle the demolition.

Representatives from the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150 say the firm, D.W. Zinser, is improperly handling debris that could contain asbestos.

Read more here.

Weather delayed implosion finally takes place.

After 80 years of extreme temperatures and weather, the bridge that connected northern New York State to Vermont across Lake Champlain had it’s concrete piers erode beyond repair. The bridge was closed on October 16th, when engineers determined that the bridge was no longer safe. So under the cover of snow, a small crowd watched the 665 metre (2,184 foot) span explode and collapse.

You can view a slideshow of still images here or, alternatively, watch the video below.

1,400 ounces of gold found during Yukon mine demolition project.

The Con Mine, located just south of Yellowknife, produced more than 160,000 kilograms of gold between 1938 and 2003. But the contractor now demolishing it says there are millions of dollars in gold left in the old girl yet.

Part of the contract with mine operator, Newmont Mining Corporation, involves remediation of the site. It includes demolition of dozens of unwanted buildings, capping of tailing ponds and the clean-up of soil containing unwanted by-products of gold refining, such as arsenic.

The company supports recycling and is carefully segregating any building materials — such as steel I-beams — that can be recovered. But, among the material still lodged in some of the buildings is gold-rich ore, and dust containing the precious metal in various states of refinement.

“We started demolition in the summer, but work is on hold for the winter, as of the first week of November,” said Bill Lyle, director, reclamation and closure with Newmont. “To date, we’ve probably recovered about 1,400 ounces of gold.”

Read the full story here.

Safety fears over bitter cold and high winds push back Crown Point bridge implosion.

As we exclusively revealed yesterday, today’s planned Crown Point bridge implosion has been postponed. The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) and the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) today announced that the Lake Champlain Bridge demolition has been rescheduled for Monday 28 December, at 10 a.m. due to the formation of ice on Lake Champlain and severely cold temperatures which have significantly delayed work to prepare the bridge for demolition.

Safety issues associated with the bitter cold and high winds, as well as icing around the bridge have caused the delay, according to NYSDOT’s blast subcontractor Advanced Explosives Demolition (AED). Therefore, the bridge will not be sufficiently prepared for demolition on the originally scheduled date, 23 December.

Read more here.

Unconfirmed reports suggest implosion has been put back to Monday.

We are receiving unconfirmed reports that the implosion of the Crown Point bridge over Lake Champlain may have been put back till Monday.

Watch this space or our Twitter feed for further updates.

Demolition News is just a few days from signing off for the festive period.

Judging by the dearth of phone calls and email messages received at Demolition News Towers during the past 24 hours, the global demolition industry has either started its festive celebrations early or has given up the ghost in the face of an economic downturn that shows no signs of abating….we sincerely hope it’s the former.

To reflect this, Demolition News will be winding down from 23 December. And while new posts will be added during the Christmas and New Year period (particularly footage from tomorrow’s Champlain Bridge implosion), we will be all but closed until 3 January 2009.

So we would just like to take this opportunity to wish all our subscribers, readers, sponsors and advertisers the very merriest of Christmases and the most prosperous of New Years.

See you in 2010.

Tower block made famous in BBC sitcom to be demolished.

The tower block where Del Boy and Rodney lived in Only Fools and Horses is to be demolished.

Harlech Tower on West London’s South Acton Estate stood in for Peckham’s fictional Nelson Mandela House for exterior shots in the long-running sitcom.

But the 13-storey building is to be torn down in 2011 as part of a redevelopment of the entire 42-acre estate, 1,800-home estate, considered one of the most foreboding in the capital.

Read more here.

Iraqi torture chamber faces demolition and replacement by Government building.

Aside from the obvious listed buildings and those of great architectural merit, there are certain buildings and structures that should be forever immune to demolition: pubs; cafes selling a good quality full English breakfast; and the Boleyn Ground.

But there are some that should be marked for destruction almost before the cement and concrete holding them together is dried and cured: Tax offices; call centres; and the Emirates Stadium.

Read the full story here.

One of world’s largest demolition projects draws ever closer.

US Dept. of Energy spokesman John Shewairy today confirmed that discussions are underway about demolishing the K-33 building; a massive, 260,000 square metre (2.8 million-square-foot) structure that was decommissioned and cleaned up by BNFL in the 1990s as part of a three-building D&D project.

But Shewairy said no decision has been made on K-33 demolition, and he declined to estimate the cost or confirm whether DOE intends to use Recovery Act money for the job. He also wouldn’t say if the work would be assigned to Bechtel Jacobs, the current cleanup manager.

“We are considering the possibility of that demolition project, but have not come to a decision at this time,” Shewairy said via e-mail.

Read more here.

Woodnock Mill chimney falls to age-old demolition method.

An Accrington landmark came crashing to earth yesterday, marking the end of a mill’s 229-year history.

The demolition of Woodnook Mill chimney created a huge dust cloud as it came swiftly down, watched by a crowd of spectators who had gathered in the rain to watch the end of an era.

The demolition team used an old-fashioned Fred Dibnah technique to topple the land-mark safely at 2pm.

Rather then use explosives, which could make it unpredictable as to where the chimney would fall, the team used a technique to cut a large hole at the bottom of the chimney, supporting the brickwork with wooden props, and then burnt away the props so the chimney fell.