Legislative Plaza Renovations
Challenges
Skanska USA Building selected Merco for the demolition of the Motlow Tunnel, part of Skanska’s contract to renovate and rebuild the Legislative Plaza and War Memorial Building in Nashville Tennessee. Demolishing the severely deteriorated tunnel required the excavation of at least 8 feet of extremely competent limestone. This unique geology surrounding the tunnel meant that traditional mechanical excavation would have proved to difficult and time consuming to remove mechanically given its proximity to existing historic structures and in close proximity to many government and private commercial structures in downtown Nashville.
Solutions
Given the difficulty of using traditional mechanical excavation techniques Merco designed and employed precision blasting utilizing Dyno Nobel’s novel Digishot digital detonation system. This enabled Merco to create precise and controlled shot designs to solve access, vibration, and airblast limitations, ensuring safety and compliance with high-tech seismographic equipment monitoring the site from at least 8 different locations throughout the duration of the project.
MERCO’s skillful implementation of the digital detonation system enabled the client to meet their aggressive schedule requirements safely and without incident.