NEW JERSEY — An unofficial New Jersey City landmark that was slated to implode in a week and a half has been granted a reprieve.
The Nabisco factory on Fair Lawn, which filled the air with the delicious smell of cookies baked for 60 years before closing in 2021, was set to implode on Saturday April 15. This is no longer the case, say the authorities.
They also did not set a new date for the implosion, although Fair Lawn officials said the change was only a postponement. The nearly 40-acre site was to be bulldozed to make way for a warehouse, NorthJersey.com reported.
Why the delay? Not easy.
According to Fair Lawn, the contractor who carried out the implosion said a state regulation prevents demolitions if the impact is exacerbated by certain weather conditions that create “a low ceiling,” such as fog or cloudiness. . He said he would monitor the weather five days in advance, report any potential problems and reschedule if necessary.
That said, Fair Lawn announced the sudden postponement on Wednesday, a full 10 days before the scheduled April 15 blast at 8 a.m. No further details were immediately provided.
The massive Route 208 site has been part of the landscape for as long as some people can remember.
Hundreds of people who worked for the company were out of work when it closed a few years ago. Demolition began last fall, according to NJ.com, but this boom was to be one of the most disruptive elements.
The tower above the factory with the giant red letters for NABISCO was supposed to be part of the implosion, which attracted great public interest for multiple reasons. Some people just wanted to watch.
Police said on Thursday that would not happen, as long as a new date was set. The general public is asked to avoid the area surrounding the property at the new implosion date which is yet to be determined. There will be road closures that day.
Previously, residents had raised concerns about air quality and potential soil and water contamination, and a school district had planned to close the following Monday out of an abundance of caution.
The contractor says air monitoring is part of their protocol. He said he also follows state rules on disposal of hazardous waste and materials and has seismic and sound monitoring for additional protective measures.
Fair Lawn officials say more information will be released as it becomes available.