Vilnius authorities have warned of a series of explosions that will be used to demolish the remains of an unfinished stadium near the Akropolis shopping mall. The site is to be cleared for the construction of the National Stadium.
According to Vilnius Deputy Mayor Valdas Benkunskas, the use of explosives will allow the company Vilniaus BDT, which is dismantling the skeleton of an old unfinished stadium, to speed up the work and cause less inconvenience to the residents due to noise.
A total of four blasts are scheduled, and the exact schedule for the remaining blasts will be drawn up later on the basis of the results.
The blasting is tentatively scheduled to take place over a period of six weeks. One working day per week will be set aside for this work, during which five blasts will be carried out on site 1.5 hours apart.
The municipality has warned that the sound of the explosions at the boundary of the site may reach up to 120 decibels but will last for about four seconds. Residents of the surrounding neighbourhood may hear a thunder-like sound during the work.
The foundations of the structures will be excavated and the explosives will be placed underground, so the blasts will not cause vibrations or splinters. The authorities have assured there will be no additional inconvenience to the residents.
The police plan to deploy up to three crews to ensure discipline and security in the vicinity of the site. Detonation specialists and stadium security staff will be on additional duty at the site and will assist the police.
According to Vilnius Municipality, the use of explosives in the dismantling of heavy structures is not a new practice, as such works have been carried out several times in Vilnius.
Under the 160-million-euro concession agreement for the National Stadium signed last October with the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports and Vilnius City Council, the concessionaire of the complex is the investment company BaltCap. The municipality’s obligations under the contract amount to around 100 million euros, while the central government has pledged 53.4 million euros.
The construction of the complex is planned to take two years and is due to be completed in late 2024.
According to Deputy Mayor Benkunskas, construction should start in the first quarter of next year.
The complex will include eight structures: a football stadium, a sports centre, two football training pitches, an athletics warm-up area and stadium, a cultural centre and a kindergarten for 300 children.
Construction of the stadium, which is located next to the Akropolis shopping mall, first started in 1987, and in 1993 the foundations and supporting structures were completed and preserved. In 2008, after a further investment of 33.6 million euros, the construction work was stopped due to a lack of funding. (LRT/Business World Magazine)
