Vermont’s Crown Point bridge earmarked for demolition before ice forms.

The historic, graceful arches of the Crown Point Bridge could disappear from the landscape before ice forms on Lake Champlain. Engineers are concerned that the bridge in such bad shape that it could topple into the water if there’s harsh weather.

For 80 years, the bridge has spanned the Lake Champlain narrows between New York’s Crown Point and Vermont’s Chimney Point. But the concrete piers that support the half-mile of steel trusses have weakened so much that Vermont and New York ordered the bridge closed – and demolished.

John Zicconi of the Vermont Transportation Agency says the bridge really needs to come down soon.

Read more here.

Cumbrian flood damage likely to claim another bridge report claims.

Cumbria County Council’s Andrew Butler says it is “too early to say” what will happen to one of the most badly damaged bridges in Cumbria, Calva Bridge in Workington.

Hundreds of bridges in the county are being carefully assessed for damage caused by the floods of the past week.

Mr Butler said he thought the damage put Calva Bridge “beyond repair”, but options for re-connecting both sides of the river were being examined.

Click here to view the BBC video report.

Demolition operative trapped as garage collapses in New York.

Demolition crews working to dismantle a garage in Hamburg had a corner jack give-way, causing the structure to collapse and trapping a worker inside.

The victim was initially unconscious, however rescuers were able to revive him at the scene.

More here.

Edinburgh City Council to fast-track demolition of troubled Fort House estate.

Dozens of council tenants living in one of the most deprived housing estates in Edinburgh are set to be rehoused – into brand-new homes at the capital’s flagship waterfront development. A deal between a housing association and the city council – which is to demolish the Fort House estate, in Leith – will see families begin relocating to the multi-million-pound Western Harbour development within weeks.

More than 150 flats on the troubled estate, which was built in the 1960s on the site of an 18th-century fort, are due for demolition within the next three years. But existing tenants are expected to be offered the chance to move to a £14million development taking shape near Newhaven Harbour, Ocean Terminal and the Royal Yacht Britannia.

The council has agreed to a fast-track demolition of Fort House after striking a deal with an affordable housing builder to rehouse most of the tenants currently living there, with the majority expected to be offered the chance of Western Harbour.

Read more here.

National Demolition Association unveils members-only section of website.

Directories of state licensing data and local C&D waste processors are among the business tools now available on the National Demolition Association’s ‘Members Only’ section of its website www.demolitionassociation.com. Members can also share scores of industry documents relating to the demolition process as a member benefit.

Read the full story here.

BBC investigation reveals bidding anomalies.

Concerns have been raised over why a firm was awarded a contract to knock down a former Victorian workhouse which was more than three times the price quoted by an award-winning company. It follows a BBC investigation into plans to demolish Westcliffe Hospital in Stoke-on-Trent.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council set a budget of £1.2m for demolishing the building and last month it accepted a price of about £1.1m from a firm to complete the work. However, documents obtained by the BBC showed the cheapest quote received by the council was actually £309,000.

The lowest bid was rejected, despite the contractor being an award-winning firm and one of the biggest demolition companies in the UK.

Read the full story hereAwards and lowest price .

Demolition Company of the Year Safedem to be subject of BBC radio broadcast.

Just a few weeks ago, Scottish contractor Safedem was named Demolition Company of the Year and also collected the Explosive Demolition of the Year trophy at the inaugural Demolition Awards in Amsterdam. But it is a more delicate aspect of the company’s activities that will be the focus of ‘Brick by Brick’, a new Radio 4 programme to be broadcast at 11 am next Monday.

Safedem is handling the dismantling and facade retention at Marischal College in Aberdeen which boasts the second largest granite facade in the world. Formerly part of the University of Aberdeen, it is undergoing radical change to house the city’s new council offices, and in order to save the historic frontage, the building is being dismantled piece by piece, leaving only the outer walls.

Brick by Brick can be heard live on Radio 4 at 11 am on 30 November 2009 and should be available via the “listen again” function here.

Volvo Construction Equipment becomes latest big-name sponsor of demolitionnews.com.

Times are hard and advertising revenue is currently about as common as hen’s teeth. So we’re doubly delighted to welcome Volvo Construction Equipment as our latest big-name sponsor.

The company is a keen supporter of the UK demolition industry, backing initiatives and events for both the National Federation of Demolition Contractors and the Institute of Demolition Engineers, so they make a great addition to the Demolition News supporter’s club!

Please be sure to click here or on their ad (bottom left of this page).

$600,000 grant aid spells end for Sheet and Tube building.

NBC21 is reporting that Youngstown is to receive over $600,000 to demolish the old Sheet and Tube office building and improve its property. The money comes from a grant that could help bring an expansion project to V&M Star Steel.

The property has been used for industrial purposes since 1920 when Youngstown Sheet and Tube began operating.

The company closed down in the early 70’s and has since been used for storage.

Probation for contractor caught up in kickback investigation.

The owner of a demolition company, who pleaded guilty to offering union officials gifts and payments, was sentenced Thursday to two years’ probation.

Gerald Diodati, 60, is banned from working for any labor organizations throughout the two years and must perform 200 hours of community service each year for the duration of his sentence. He was also undergo mental health treatment.

U.S. District Judge William E. Smith waived any fines, saying that Diodati had already endured financial hardships due to the dive his reputation took at being involved in the conspiracy. Diodati, an estimator for Hemphill Construction and owner of Rhode Island Demolition, was the last of three men sentenced Thursday for their roles in a kickback scheme.

Read more here.