Superdome may dodge wrecking ball

Cancel the wrecking ball.

The Superdome might be salvageable after all.

A second inspection over the weekend revealed the damage to the 30-year-old stadium wasn’t as bad as first thought, said Doug Thornton, the regional vice president of SMG, the company that manages the Superdome.

Thornton initially feared the landmark facility might need to be completely gutted because of damage from Hurricane Katrina and thousands of storm victims who sought shelter there after the storm passed.

“If you were to walk through it now would you would say it’s not that bad and could possibly be repaired,” he said.

Friday marked the first time anyone had inspected the building’s roof, and, as expected, the results weren’t good. Thornton estimated that more than 60 percent of the roof’s sheet metal decking and rubber exterior layer has been destroyed.

If the building is salvaged, he said, the roof will need to be replaced.

That bill alone could cost $6 million to $8 million, he said.