A bit of uncertainty looms over when demolition crews will resume tearing down the Metrodome following an unexpected incident Monday, the Star Tribune reports.
The operation came to a halt after a beam on the 32-year-old facility fell out of sequence. A subcontractor’s crew was working on bringing down a beam in the northeastern corner of the stadium Monday about 1 p.m. when an adjacent section came down unexpectedly. No one was injured in the incident.
An investigation into what exactly led to the incident is reportedly being conducted by Mortenson Construction, the general contractor for the new Vikings stadium. The Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority is overseeing the demolition of the facility.
Speaking at a MSFA meeting Wednesday, Mortenson Construction Director of Operations Allen Troshinsky wouldn’t give an exact date when the demolition would resume, but said it would be in the “next several days.”
Until that time, KSTP says, Troshinsky said the company wants to play it safe.
“Once we are completely satisfied that we understand what has happened earlier this week and that we will not experience that again, we will resume the demolition activities,” he said.
The Star Tribune says the tight construction deadline on the $1 billion Vikings stadium – due to open in July 2016 – has not been affected by the incident.
“I don’t want to put pressure on anybody to resume work,” Troshinsky told Finance & Commerce after the MSFA meeting.
KSTP says excavation work and the installation of concrete columns on the east side of the stadium site is still underway, and about 100 people are working in the area.
