2008 Woodie Awards
Video related to this article is available below.Issue date: 3/6/08 Section: News
To build up, first step is to demolish
Daniel Zinshteyn
|
Before construction can begin, the Post Office Truck Terminal Annex building that currently stands on the site along 30th Street between Chestnut and Walnut streets must first be demolished.
Penn announced the project in August 2007 after acquiring land from the U.S. Postal Service. The development is part of the Penn Connects project, Penn's eastward-expansion initiative toward the Schuylkill river.
The land is being leased to real-estate developer Brandywine Realty Trust. The project will cost $800 million to complete.
According to BRT President and CEO Jerry Sweeney, the demolition will take seven months. A timeline for Cira Centre South's completion has not yet been determined.
Because the demolition site is near high-traffic areas, including the Walnut and Chestnut street bridges as well as the Amtrak rail yard, wrecking balls and explosives will not be used. Instead, the annex is being demolished with heavy equipment and manpower.
The building will be taken apart "piece by piece," Sweeney wrote in an e-mail.
The total budget for the demolition of the Truck Terminal Annex is $3.6 million, Sweeney wrote. He added that the first building to be constructed will be a parking garage, which Internal Revenue Service employees will begin using in summer 2010.
The construction schedule for the high-rise towers, the main feature of the project, has not been decided yet.
The developers have designed a site-logistics plan to ensure that there are no street closures in the area. Once the project is completed, 30th Street between Chestnut and Walnut streets will become two-way to help alleviate the additional traffic volume.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
David
posted 3/06/08 @ 9:44 AM EST
Check out the vertical dimension to the site- the whole thing is on a raised platform with old streets down below which have not seen the light of day in probably a hundred years. (Continued…)
Jim Campbell
posted 3/06/08 @ 11:05 AM EST
It is important that the development also address the pedestrian issues at the "street" level. For instance, Walnut Street Bridge is presently poorly constructed for good pedestrian and bike connections between University City and Center City. (Continued…)
Post a Comment