Railroad Avenue Closing Thursday Indefinitely for Municipal Complex Renovation

Railroad Avenue will no longer be a thoroughfare for nearly two years come Thursday morning.
Lansdale Borough Council voted 8-1 Wednesday to close Railroad Avenue indefinitely until completion of the municipal complex renovation.
Director of Community Development John Ernst said the road will be used to segregate parking areas for staging and deliver construction trailers for the renovation.
"Asbestos and contaminant abatement for borough hall will begin on Monday," said Ernst during the administration and finance committee meeting Wednesday. Demolition was set to be completed by Dec. 31, however there is a delay for a week, due to a number of factors, including mobilization of the contractor, coordination of the demolition contractor and production of drawings by the structural engineer for the securing of the outside three walls being saved in the renovation. 
"More time (is needed) to generate those drawings, along with the coordination of that sureing," Ernst said. "There is a week of delay that will cause us to get started with demolition, as we ensure that all of these safety pieces and engineering pieces are put in place properly." 
Demolition, he said, would begin as soon as asbestos abatement is done by the end of next week.
"The week after, they would be in a position to start demolition," Ernst said. 
Construction and demolition work would be done between 7:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Monday to Friday.