February 8, 2010

Concrete from Giants Stadium demolition to be buried on site

NEW YORK

The demolition of Giants Stadium got started Feb. 4 when a giant metal claw attached to a crane started taking bites out of the cement helix at one of the four gates around the 34-year-old facility.

Clouds of dust drifted in the air as concrete and rebar poked through areas where the concrete was ripped away.

The US$10 million-plus demolition project will take about four months with the seats and sod being sold as memorabilia.

Much of the concrete is being used to fill a hole where the field is currently located.

About a dozen construction workers at the adjacent new stadium that will be home to the Giants and Jets watched the demolition from an open landing, some taking pictures with cellphones.

The beginning of the end for the stadium that played host to more than 1,600 events and had more than 70 million people pass through its turnstiles was lonely.

Vincent Parziale, the chief executive of Gramercy, the wrecking and environmental contractors taking down the stadium, said that Giants Stadium cannot be imploded because it is too close to the new structure, which is a 30-yard pass away.

The construction started at Gate B, which is closest to the yet unnamed new stadium, because the spiral in Gate B overlaps with the concourse on the new stadium.

Parziale said once the area is cleared out, the demolition crews will start cleaning out Giants Stadium from the inside and then taking down the building in sections, working from high to low.

Associated Press

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