 Want to Blow Up a Stadium? | |
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Update: Check Out Photos of the Implosion!
Have you ever secretly dreamed about how it would feel to blow something up? Well, now is your chance to find out first hand. Three Rivers Stadium will come tumbling down within the next month and you could be the one who pushes the ceremonial plunger and sets off the implosion! The big event is currently set for February 18, 2001, though discussions are now ongoing to possibly move the date up to Super Bowl Sunday, January 28, 2001. Bianchi Trison Corporation, of Syracuse, N.Y., was awarded the $5.1 million contract for the demolition and is subcontracting the implosion portion to Controlled Demoltion Inc., of Phoenix, Md., a firm with 44 years experience and the much-talked about Seattle's Kingdome implosion under its belt.
The implosion of a structure refers to the controlled process of causing a building to fall inward upon itself. Scientifically speaking, an implosion is the opposite of an explosion. It's a lot more complicated than just knocking the stadium down, however. There are many considerations that expert engineers will take into account, including public safety, dealing with dust and debris and the proximity of the incomplete and yet unnamed new stadium which stands just 65 feet away from Three Rivers Stadium. The implosion will most likely take place in the early morning hours to minimize traffic disruption and maximize safety, though the possible change to Super Bowl Sunday has me thinking halftime!
A large area around Three Rivers Stadium will be off-limits to people during the time of the implosion; a larger area will be closed to traffic, especially considering the proximity of the Fort Duquesne and Fort Pitt bridges and ramps to the stadium site. Water trucks and fire boats will most likely be deployed immediately following the blast to spray water and keep down the dust. Special precautions will also be taken to buffer the newly constructed stadium wall from potential damage. Other North Shore buildings, such as the Carnegie Science Center, are far enough away that the only repercussion may be some dusty windows and windshields following the implosion.
What will become of the rubble? The steel which is currently encased in concrete will most likely be recovered and recycled by the contractor in charge of the demolition. The remaining chunks of concrete will be broken down with a crushing machine on site to make reusable fill. In other words, Three Rivers will live on - what is now the stadium will be ground up and become part of the parking lots for the new stadium.
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