Four circular pedestrian ramp towers outside the Houston Astrodome are set for demolition next month while the fate of the entire aging and unused structure remains uncertain.
The work had been planned regardless of the outcome of a public vote earlier this month on a $217 million bond issue that would turn the stadium into an event and exhibition center.
Harris County voters rejected the proposal.
Reliant Park General Manager Mark Miller told the Houston Chronicle that three of the towers, which form corners for the circular building, are set to be taken down with explosives Dec. 8 if the weather is favorable. Workers will use demolition equipment to level the fourth tower.
The towers never were part of any new plans involving the Astrodome, Miller said.
They all were built in the late 1980s to help accommodate an expansion intended to keep the Houston Oilers football team in Houston.
Construction of the ramps inside the towers also brought the stadium into compliance with the American with Disabilities Act and helped all spectators get to the upper decks of the building.
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The Oilers then abandoned Houston for Tennessee following the 1996 NFL season.
Other already scheduled work on the structure has included removal of old ticket booths outside the dome and removal of raised grass berms on the perimeter.
