NEW ORLEANS – Mayor LaToya Cantrell and NOFD chief Tim McConnell announced this afternoon that a planned implosion of two crane towers at the site of the Hard Rock Hotel collapse bas been pushed back until tomorrow afternoon.
Crews have been placing explosive charges in strategic spots on the cranes and cutting other sections to weaken the structures in preparation for the planned implosion.
Those plans were sped up by the threat of possible Tropical Storm force winds impacting the New Orleans area this weekend, but as that storm threat passed, the urgency lessened.
McConnell also said a closer inspection of the two cranes also revealed significantly more damage, which complicated the implosion plans.
As of this afternoon, Cantrell and McConnell said the new timeline for the implosion has the cranes coming down sometime after noon on Sunday, October 20.