NEW ORLEANS — In recent months, demolition at the Hard Rock involved a crane and a wrecking ball, collapsing one floor on top of the other. The work to remove that debris continues now, but this job is far from done.
Debris rained down from the Hard Rock on Tuesday afternoon. An excavator moved the rubble around as easily as a person sweeping a pile of dirt.
The upper 10 floors of the 18-story hotel that collapsed last October, killing three people and injuring dozens more, are now mostly gone.
It's the third part of a four-phase demolition.
Next will be the removal of the lower eight floors.
Plans called for the site to be clear by the one-year anniversary of the collapse.
The Hard Rock's owners blame weather for the delays, but the work can't wrap fast enough for people like Christopher Coll.
The Canal Street tattoo artist watches the work daily.
“Yesterday they had a … big back loader loading up a bunch of metal and you see progress for sure,” he said.
He added that more of the sidewalk has been reopened, and there is an increase in foot traffic. But Canal Street at Rampart remains blocked.
“If we can get the street opened back up, there could be a lot more driving traffic, foot traffic to help the businesses along Canal, because over here it's been pretty rough for a lot of people,” Coll said.
Business owners in the area said the Hard Rock's owner is eyeing February to reopen the riveround lanes of Canal. They reportedly hope to get the lakebound side open by the spring.
“Oh, the sooner the better,” Coll said.
1031 Canal Development, the Hard Rock’s owner, did not respond Tuesday for a request for an updated timeline of when streets will reopen.
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