Unforeseen issues and aftershocks could push demolition back a year.
Demolition of the Hotel Grand Chancellor in central Christchurch has been pushed back nearly two months by aftershocks and extra work.
Figures obtained from the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (Cera) show contractor Fletcher Construction said in its tender bid it could bring down the 26-storey building in 37 weeks and two days.
When Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee announced Fletcher had been awarded the contract in May, he said the job should take about 10 months and could take up to a year.
Cera said the decision to add an adjacent car park to the demolition had added four weeks to the project. The June 13 aftershocks pushed back work another three weeks, with the demolition now expected to take 44 weeks.
“It should be acknowledged that at the time of award there was still large unknown quantities with regards to the structural stability of the building and that the final solution could not be confirmed until the full engineering analysis of the building was completed,” Cera said.
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