KDW

My guess is they are just making some room and than bring in heavy equipment to demo the rest.  Too small and low to implode. Job looks like it's going well. It's tough trying to demo a structure so close to another.

This demo will get interesting when they start removal of the post tension beams. I used to park in this garage and there is a long span between column lines. 

They may have been working on the weekends, I haven't been downtown on Saturday or Sunday. I went by the site the other day, the way that building looked if I were the contractor I would want it down as soon as I could. To leave it sit like that during the week with work going on over the rest of the site I would worry about the stability of the remaining structure and debris falling down unexpectedly. I guarantee they don't want to be working at night. Night work is less productive, more risk with light towers creating shadows, etc. Night work sucks for all! Contractors as well as residents. 

I would guess the Demolition crew is working at night for public safety reasons. The last high section of the building is too close to the street to safely bring it down without closing the street. It's a bother to the residents who live nearby but it's better than dropping a section of building on a busy downtown street during the busy day. 

That said, this project has been an eye sore and yes, taken way too long. Hopefully it will be done soon.

I know someone who walked the building during the demolition bidding process, he said the entire 10 story section is aluminum cladding made to look like marble. Just what i was told, I guess we will see when it starts to come down.

Above the 1st floor is aluminum cladding that looks like marble. 

Probably started the asbestos abatement portion of the project. Gotta be done before the wrecking ball hits.

My guess, Hines wrecks the block, than puts a surface parking lot in. They collect some scratch in parking fees, wait until oil starts to go back up and build an office tower.

From what I hear the garage is not part of the demolition scope of work

The garage takes up the half of the block. The rest of the block will be built to street level so that the tunnels can be connected back and utilized by the masses.

I've heard  the garage is being built to 7 or 8 floors, and the rest of the site to street level. Once they decide on building the tower, the garage will top out at 12 floors.

They were installing drill piers at night to make up time in the schedule. The wrecking of the garage was done at night to protect the public and to work around Metro. Balling that building during the day would have been dangerous, too many cars & Pedestrians. There are noise ordinances but in downtown it gets fuzzy. The police need a good amount of complaints to shut work down. From what I have heard is when they get started coming out of the ground they may be working around the clock. May or may not happen, we shall see....

There is another crane going in on the Milam side halfway between Capitol & Rusk. But the Tower is still on hold for now from what I am hearing. The crane on Travis side is scheduled to go up tomorrow.

From what I hear, Skanska will construct the base of the tower to street level. I don't believe they are committed as of yet to go any further. I guess by doing this, they can connect into the tunnel system and control water and drainage on the site.

My guess, for what it's worth......The garage sustains some damage during the implosion, Have to move Those Whose Parking Shall Not Be Disturbed (TWPSNBD) to another garage for the repairs. Move TWPSNBD to said new site. Once TWPSNBD are gone see an opening.  Now even though they spend the money to demolish the structures as they were see this opening to save millions by now clearing the whole site, gain more room for the construction of the new parking garage, and maybe have a more marketable site to find that new tenant for the new tower....just a guess..

They are installing drill piers next to the old foundation walls so they can continue excavating the new foundation. Those whose parking shall not be disturbed have been moved to another garage, from what I hear.

Don't know if the tower is a go but I hear the 6 story garage will be coming down soon.

Wow. That's a tremendous amount of material to move in a month.

H-Town- sorry bout that, didn't mean for my response to come off that way. My bad.

Yes, thats what I meant, I just meant that they are taking more and more out. Calm down

Thrown away?!? Do you have any clue that scrap is recycled and worth money to the Demolition Contractor? All that concrete will be recycled. I venture to say 90% of that pile will not be thrown away.

I hear the priviliged ones are pretty perturbed they have to park two blocks away.....they may actually have to interact with the masses. Although they are getting shuttled by bus to their building. Heaven forbid they dirty their shoes having to walk the pavement.

I do know Skanska is required to provide Chase with 150+ parking spaces on that site. The 6 story building was always a garage, the ramps feeding that building were in the 12 & 18 story side. That was the reason for the ramps being installed on the Milam side. I am amazed that Skanska was unable to buy Chase out of the arrangement. They spent millions converting the 6 story to be a stand alone building. Not just installing the ramps, but the $ to redo all the MEP systems that were needed to be re-routed was not cheap. It also had to escalate the cost to demolish the other buildings with the garage so close. I'm guessing they had to know all this going in to the deal.

Skanska blue........