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DEMOLITION OF THE FAMED JOE LOUIS ARENA IN DETROIT, MICHIGAN <br />On the riverfront in downtown Detroit, Michigan, the shuttered Joe Louis Arena (JLA) was demolishedto make <br />way for the development of a prime piece of real estate on the Detroit River where Detroit and the USA border <br />Canada. Adamo Demolition Co., headquartered in Detroit, completed the project with zero accidents or <br />incidents, on time and within budget, expending 11,500+ manhours and successfully diverting 37,000+ tons of <br />concrete and 5000+ tons of scrap materials from the landfill. <br />The arena's footprint of 180,000 square feet and <br />its 85-foot height gave rise to the 12 million ft. <br />structure to be demolished in tight quarters on a <br />main thoroughfare in a congested downtown <br />area. JLA was bordered by the TCF Convention <br />Center (formerly Cobo Hall Arena) on one side and <br />the John C. Lodge Freeway on another side. The <br />Detroit People Mover, an elevated train public <br />transit system, passed along the other two sides <br />of the structure, at some points coming within 35' <br />of the arena. <br />During the planning stages of the project, demolition <br />by implosion was discussed and considered. However, <br />there were several driving factors calling for a more traditional, conventional demolition approach, among them the <br />close proximity of JLA to the TCF Convention Center and <br />,,.. the public transit system, as well as an underground sewer <br />main which ran directly beneath the center roof truss of <br />yu n the arena, easily the heaviest portion of the structure. <br />Once plans were completed and best practices determined, <br />H0000 demolition commenced with the interior of the arena, with <br />Adamo mechanically clearing the seating, suites, <br />concessions, and other interior components. This was <br />followed by the systematic demolition of the exterior <br />structure utilizing ultra -high reach demolition excavators, <br />except for the center truss. <br />