Implosion Date Set For Iconic Bergen County Hotel

MAHWAH, NJ — An iconic 24-story hotel near the New Jersey/New York border is scheduled to be imploded this month, and the Mahwah Town Council got more details at its meeting on Monday night.

The 225-room Sheraton Crossroads hotel, visible from Route 17 in Mahwah, closed its doors in December 2023. It was built in 1987.

The building is set to be imploded the morning of April 27, a Sunday.

Developers planned to build two warehouses at the site but are now looking for tenants for "light industrial" uses.

"The building will be down on the ground in 30 seconds," said an expert at Monday's meeting.

[UPDATE: The implosion date has been moved. See an update here.]

Local officials and experts from CDI Construction revealed the following facts at the meeting:

• Timing: The detonation will occur between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. The experts said they don't want to share the exact time yet because they don't want people coming to watch. However, town officials will give more details to residents closer to the date.
• Road Closures: Traffic on routes 17, 287, and 202 will be temporarily slowed to a stop for the demolition, as well as traffic on some county and town roads. The site owners are meeting with local officials and state police to firm up the details.
• All-Clear: When the implosion is completed and officials are sure dust isn't spreading beyond the limits, they'll give the "all clear" and the roads will reopen. This could happen just a few minutes after the demolition.
• Contamination: Many of the materials in the building have been safely removed, including lighting. Asbestos is confined to the basement and is being removed safely, experts said.
• Electricity: The electricity in the building will be shut off completely this Friday.
• Dynamite: 1,700 holes will be drilled in the building. They'll be stuffed with dynamite to implode the structure. Armed guards will be at the building around the clock once CDI loads dynamite close to the date.
• Footprint: The demolition experts expect the structure to stay within its own footprint when it falls, but they have a 700-foot radius as a "worst case scenario" for errant materials. The building itself is 250 feet tall. No one will be allowed within 1,000 feet of the site as it's being imploded, the experts said.
• Noise And Vibrations: The sound will be much quieter than the 4.8-magnitude earthquake in the area a year ago.
• What Remains: A 60-foot pile of concrete will be left after the implosion. The concrete will be removed over three months, but some will be left to be turned into stone to raise the grade.
• Delays? In response to questions, the demolition company said that rain and bad weather generally won't delay the date of the implosion (and rain might help keep dust contained, in addition to six cannons shooting water). The only thing that could hold up the implosion is if the contractors aren't able to get all the needed permits in time.

Councilman Jonathan Wong encouraged the officials and experts to let residents know more details of the timing close to the event.

History

For years, the shiny hotel — near the crossroads of routes 17 and 287 —was a familiar site for people traveling between the Catskills region and North Jersey.

The building once held singles' events, weddings, car shows, and tennis tournaments.

For decades before that, a Ford Motors plant occupied the site.

• READ MORE: Readers React To Sheraton Crossroads Closing
• READ MORE: Former Employees React To Sheraton Closing

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