A detour of two blocks of Main Street downtown is now in place to allow construction crews to proceed with the demolition of the former Downtowner Motor Inn.
Travel is restricted to one lane of northbound traffic for six days. The detour signs will route southbound traffic from Main Street onto Market Street and then to Spring Street. Once on Spring Street, the detour will direct motorists to Ridge Street, but Floyd Street will remain open.
North Union Street from Main Street to Spring Street has been closed.
The northbound lane for motorists traveling along Main Street toward Memorial Drive and Craghead Street will remain open throughout the demolition.
D. H. Griffin Wrecking Co. of Greensboro, N.C., is the demolition contractor. The excavating equipment arrived on site earlier this week. The excavator has a 95-foot arm with a muncher attached at the end. The muncher will crush the building’s concrete. The crushed concrete will be hauled away.
The detour was established at 10 a.m. Friday. Crews now will begin the task of pulling the building down to a safe and manageable level. Normal traffic patterns will be restored when a safe level is reached.
The city has a web cam set up that will citizens to view the demolition on the city of Danville website. Go to www.danville-va.gov, and then click on the Downtowner Demolition link on the left rail. The direct link is http://www.danville-va.gov/index.aspx?nid=1579.
The company will remain on site until demolition and cleanup are complete. The property will be cleared of rubble, back-filled and seeded. No decision has been made on the future use.