Ramada Inn demolition ahead of schedule Petersburg city officials say

PETERSBURG, Va. (WWBT) - With less than three weeks left until the projected deadline for the demolition of the blighted Ramada Inn in Petersburg, city officials are assuring the public that the project is slated to be complete before the new year.

“The demolition should be complete by the end of the month,” said Department of Neighborhood Services Director Cheif Jim Reid. “We are ahead of the demolition schedule.”

The city expects a lot more of the building to disappear in the next few weeks.

All week long at the site across from Wythe Street, large chunks of debris could be seen plummeting to the ground as construction shovels, and excavators clawed away at the blighted structure.

Reid says even though the building appeared to be idle for months after the demolition began, contractors had to tear down the parking garage first. They began demolishing the building from the inside before attacking the outside with heavy machinery.

“The parking structure was taken down, which is almost 100% complete. The building was the last thing to go, and that’s been taken down in stages,” Reid said. “We are doing an interior demolition so that will have fewer items that will need to go to the landfill.”

Reid says according to the contractor Demolition Services Inc. based out of Culpepper, approximately 95% of the old building will be recycled. At the demolition site, the debris is being separated into piles of concrete, aluminum, steel and other materials waiting to be hauled off.

“The demolition contractor will be in charge of having the items recycled,” Reid said.

Reid says the project has hit any delays so far and is projected to be completed by Dec. 31.

“Only the building foundation will be in place, and the rest of the place will be green space,” Reid said. “I’m happy with the progress, and it will be nice that the citizens of Petersburg can come by here and not see a blighted building.”

According to the city, multiple developers have reached out about building on the former Ramada Inn site. A study will soon begin on the downtown area, which includes Exit 52. The study will consist of the best land uses.

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