Second Georgia Dome Implosion Scheduled

ATLANTA, GA — It's second down and short for crews looking to sack the Georgia Dome. A second implosion has been scheduled for next week to finish taking down parts of the dome left standing after a first attempt last month.

The "supplemental implosion" is set for 1 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 20, announced the Georgia World Congress Center Authority, which operated the dome.

The second attempt is needed because a long wall on the dome's east side and a structure around what used to be Gate B remained standing after the blast. Authority officials said some explosives failed to detonate during the Nov. 20 implosion.

A second implosion "has been determined to be the safest method to bring down the remaining infrastructure still standing," the authority said in a statement.

During next Wednesday's blast, a 450-foot safety zone will be established around the perimeter of the Georgia Dome. Traffic on Northside Drive will be shut down from 12:30-1:30 a.m. and be rerouted at Ivan Allen Boulevard and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

MARTA rail service from Five Points to Vine City will be suspended, beginning at 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday. A bus shuttle service will be available as an alternative.

The GWCCA is not establishing any public viewing areas for the early-morning implosion, so if you want to try to watch — because, say, you got stuck behind a MARTA bus the first time — you're on your own.

The Georgia Dome was demolished after 25 years of hosting big-ticket events. It served as the home venue for the Atlanta Falcons and, later, Georgia State University football, and hosted two Super Bowls, the gymnastics and basketball events for the 1996 Summer Olympic Games and both a men's and women's NCAA Final Four.

The stadium also has hosted a variety of concerts, including performers like rock band U2 and many others.

In all, the 29-story dome, which seated around 65,000 spectators, hosted more than 1,400 events, drawing 37 million guests and generating more than $7 billion in economic impact, the GWCCA says.

The dome hosted its last event in March. Since then, the Falcons and Major League Soccer's Atlanta United FC have moved next door to Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Image: A dust cloud engulfs the Mercedes-Benz Stadium following the implosion of the Georgia Dome, which was next door to the stadium, Monday, Nov. 20, 2017, in Atlanta. The Dome was the home of the Atlanta Falcons, hosted Super Bowls and the 1996 Summer Olympic Games among other sporting events. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)