Gana’s Role
Gana Trucking & Excavating is excited to begin the demolition of the former Journal Star building in downtown Lincoln. We first placed our bid in 2019 and have been working with the owner and Hausmann ever since. We were thrilled to have the green light to finally start digging!
Our crew began demolition on the Lincoln Journal Star building on Monday, December 20th. Following the building demo, we’ll be doing site demolition excavation and backfilling of the new basement as well as all of the trucking associated with the project. This work will likely take us four to five months to complete.
As the work begins, we currently have two Gana employees doing the demolition. Once the haul off of the demolition debris starts, it will require roughly eight to ten side dumps per day.
This is a very high-profile job for us and it has its fair share of challenges. The building is built very stoutly. The floors and roof are cast in place and have large foundations. The proximity and tight working area make logistics of trucks and equipment more challenging as well.
About the Project
The 926 P St. location of the Lincoln Journal Star has been a prominent place for breaking news and sharing stories to Lincoln, Nebraska, and beyond. This very location has had a 140-year publishing history. At the end of August, the Lincoln Journal Star moved to a new space in the Telegraph District.
While it’s the end of an era in some sense, Lincoln will be making history with this new development.
Gana is clearing the way for an underground parking garage, street-level retail stores, and a two-tiered apartment complex. With over 320 units in the apartment, this makes it downtown Lincoln’s biggest apartment project in history. According to the developer’s plans, one tower of the apartment will be six stories and the other will be 13-stories, so this will significantly change the downtown Lincoln skyline.
This is a prime location for parking, retail, and housing as it’s close to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the Historic Haymarket, and with quick and easy access to the interstate. The project is projected to be completed by the fall of 2023 just in time for the fall semester.
Closing Thoughts
It’s been a long time coming for this project, but we’re eager to be a part of it. We love investing our time and expertise into our community, and this is yet another project that will leave its mark on Lincoln!
To learn more about Gana Trucking & Excavating, please give us a call at 402-794-5000.
References:
Piece of Lincoln’s Newspaper History Begins to Come Down as Journal star Nears Move Into New Offices, Lincoln Journal Star;
Watch Now: Demolition Begins On the Former Journal Star Building in Downtown Lincoln, Lincoln Journal Star;
Photo: Gwyneth Roberts, Lincoln Journal Star
