Viatel carried out the controlled demolition of an old 80-meter-high telecommunications tower in Morro Alto, Flores Island, in the Azores, at an altitude of 914 meters. The work was considered delicate and had to obey a very tight action plan.
Viatel’s technicians carried out a strategic two-phase plan so that everything ran without incident.
It all started with an inspection of the site, collecting all data, namely the necessary dimensions of the ground area for the fall of the lattice tower, as well as choosing the location for building the concrete block to support the fall.
The survey also analysed the temperature variation and wind speed, general data which allowed to plan the demolition of a 120-ton structure.
During the following phase, Viatel built the concrete block, applied steel hooks and cables, for the controlled demolition of the old tower. Afterwards, the technicians removed the debris/iron waste and replanted some local species of trees, repositioning the conditions previously found.
The Morro Alto tower, owned by Altice Portugal, served for years to broadcast television signals, receiving a beam directed from the island of Faial, considered to be one of the longest in the world.
Morro Alto, given its altitude, is considered the perfect place for installing radio frequency antennas, used for a wide variety of purposes, considered of the utmost importance for the Navy, Civil Protection and navigation, among others.
See the tower demolition here.