Crews Developing Demolition Plan For Century-Old Duquesne Church
DUQUESNE (KDKA) - People who live near a century-old church in Duquesne are facing a serious safety hazard.
The roof collapsed after some strong storms, which prompted the road in front of their homes to be shut down.
Those residents also had to be evacuated.
Exactly when the former Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church will be brought down is up in the air. It's likely going to happen today or Wednesday.
To assess the situation, crews are using new technology.
"The contractor brought the drone just to measure the height of the steeples. It's about 80 feet. He wanted to get a look at what's inside, how the beams are built and stuff like that," Duquesne Business Manager Frank Piccolino said.
The church was built in 1904, but it has been vacant for decades. It's been in disrepair for quite some time, but the roof caved in after Sunday night's heavy rains and whipping winds.
While no one was hurt, the concern now is for the 13 adults and four kids who live in an apartment complex across the street.
"Right now, our only concern here is making it safe in this area because cars go through there, kids go through here, people walk through here," Mayor Phil Krivacek said.
Bringing the building down is going to be expensive and tricky.
"The towers are very high and structurally, they are fine right now because that's not what collapsed, but they have to come down and once we remove everything around them, they don't become as stable and we have to determine how to get them to fall so that they don't fall into anything else," Duquesne city engineer David Gilliland said.
The Red Cross is helping out the people who are displaced.
The mayor said those residents will be allowed back into their apartments once everything is brought down.
Join The Conversation On The KDKA Facebook Page
Stay Up To Date, Follow KDKA On Twitter
