On Saturday, December 19, the BB&T Towers on Nash Street will be imploded. BB&T recently completed a new building a short distance from the Towers. Once the Towers are demolished, the site will be used for a retail and residential development, adjacent to the new Wilson YMCA (see rendering below).

WHEN: Saturday, December 19, 2020 with TARGET time of 8 a.m.

WHERE: The buildings are located at 223 Nash Street North and 223 Nash Street West in Wilson

HOW CAN I WATCH: The easiest way to watch the demolition is the live stream below. Three different camera angles are available. The implosion will also be shown on Channel 8 on Greenlight and Spectrum. The feed to that channel will start at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday. 

Early on Saturday morning, an Exclusion Zone of a 1,000 foot radius around the Towers will be created to stop foot and vehicle traffic. Some streets near the site will be closed as early as 5 p.m. on Friday, December 18. Please see the street closure map below - streets will be closed at the red marks and no one will be permitted within the blue circle (the Exclusion Zone) until the buildings are demolished and the area is cleared. Please note safety barriers and traffic enforcement will be in place, so finding a viewing spot may be more difficult than expected. We strongly encourage you to watch using the live stream.

DEMOLITION VIDEOS

See our Facebook page for a full collection of videos

Street Closure Map

The Customer Service Center will be closed on December 19. 

Frequently Asked Questions

DEMOLITION CONTRACTOR:  D.H. Griffin Wrecking Co., Inc.

BLASTING CONTRACTOR:  Pettigrew, Inc.

 WHAT ARE THE LIMITS OF THE SAFETY PERIMETER?

A radius of ~1,000 ft./perimeter will be enforced around the twin Towers. Wilson police and radioed personnel will secure the safety perimeter.  The established safety perimeter will be enforced at least 1 hour prior to the scheduled blast time.  No one is allowed outdoors within the safety perimeter.  Roads in the immediate vicinity will be temporarily closed one hour prior to the event and are expected to re-open 30 minutes afterwards.  Essential personnel will secure the area.  A mixture of audible warnings and final inspections will be performed prior to the final count down. 

WILL ADJACANT PROPERTIES NEED TO BE VACATED?

In general, only buildings located within close proximity.  The project team will analyze each structure and determine what properties need to be vacant during the actual event.  Tenants/Residents/Owners will be notified and provided a safe viewing location during the event. 

WHAT TO KNOW!

Blasting is used daily in demolition and construction throughout the world.  The former BB&T Home Office Complex is considered an excellent candidate for an explosives demolition application. It will provide a safer and more efficient means to raze the structures for the subsequent debris handling phase.  The vibration value generated from the explosives are minimal and it’s the actual impact of the collapsing structures that will produce any noticeable vibrations – which will be far below any threshold that would cause damage to your property.  Blasting greatly reduces the time taken to accomplish the overall task of the demolition process and will minimize the disturbance (a one-time demolition window) to area residences and businesses.

DOES LOUDER MEAN STRONGER?

There is no direct relationship between the noises you hear around your property and the potential for damage.  Contrary to the low frequencies of earthquakes, ground vibrations from blasting have high frequencies and are heard very easily.  The levels you can hear and feel are far below those needed to cause damage.  These pulses also seem stronger because they come rather suddenly and unannounced.

HOW ARE VIBRATIONS AND SOUND MEASURED?

Portable seismographs will be used to measure & record the ground vibrations and air overpressures.  The specialist who does this work will analyze the recordings and store them as historical data.  The companies that make the instruments must adhere to government regulations of the accuracy of the instruments.  That information is available and will be part of the project files.

WHO REGULATES BLASTING?

There are federal, state and local government agencies that impose restrictions and laws pertaining to ground vibrations and air pressures from blasting activity.  These limits are based on extensive research conducted by many agencies and specialists throughout the world.  One of the leading and most restrictive of these agencies was the former US Bureau of Mines.  The State of NC has comparable limits which Pettigrew Inc. understands and will comply with as required by state regulations.

RENDERING OF THE NEW NASH AND PINE STREET DEVELOPMENT

This image is a conceptual rendering and does not reflect final design.  

PINE & BARNES ST VIEW

NASH & PINE ST VIEW

NASH & JACKSON ST VIEW