HYM Investment Group and National Real Estate Advisors plan to build a 410,000-square-foot office-lab building as the third phase of their Bulfinch Crossing mixed-use development. Image courtesy of CBT Architects

Months after a demolition worker fell to his death after a part of the Government Center Garage’s ninth floor collapsed beneath him, work is resuming to make way for lab and residential towers planned for the site.

HYM Investment Group and National Real Estate Advisors, developers of the One Congress and Sudbury towers that have already replaced parts of the garage, said Tuesday afternoon that it and construction contractor John Moriarty and Assoc. plans to restart demolition of the remaining garage structure over Congress Street and the MBTA’s Haymarket station on July 11.

A graphic provided by the development team shows the new demolition work will be focused on a portion of the garage’s arm that extends over Congress Street. The current round of demolition should be complete by Labor Day, the development team said, but a large portion of the garage will still need to be taken down before work can begin on the remaining two buildings in the Bulfinch Crossing development.

According to plans filed with the Boston Planning & Development Agency, HYM will replace the portion of the garage east of Congress Street with a 410,000-square-foot office-lab building approved by city officials earlier this year. A portion of the garage west of Congress Street will be retained to serve the Sudbury residential tower, One Congress office tower and a 28-story, 291-unit residential tower to be built in the Bulfinch Crossing project’s final phase.

With work resuming next week, Congress Street will be closed between New Chardon and Sudbury streets. The MBTA’s Haymarket station will remain open, however, despite concerns about deteriorating support columns for the garage that prompted an emergency closure of the train station last month. The MBTA and Gov. Charlie Baker blamed HYM for the incident. The transit agency said it plans to seek payment for costs incurred when it was forced to shut the station and truncate service on two of its subway lines just before rush hour.

“Following our initial discovery of the one problematic subsurface column on Thursday, June 23rd, a group of women and men worked to create and implement a plan to ensure the safety of this area and all who pass through it,” HYM and National Real Estate Advisors said in a frequently asked questions document about the resumption of demolition released Tuesday. “This included refortifying the identified water-damaged column with steel bracing, which was performed successfully. There are no additional concerns related to other columns at this time.”

The development team said it is prioritizing worker safety as demolition work gets back underway. Peter Monsini of Easton, an employee for JDC Demolition, fell to his death from the ninth floor of the garage on March 26 when a floor slab buckled beneath the equipment he was operating.

“Following the March 2022 accident a group of highly qualified inspectors and engineers have thoroughly inspected and examined the Government Center Garage site and the demolition plans,” the developers said. “We are allowed to resume work and remain committed to ensuring the safety of our workers at all times. The safety of our sites will continue to adhere to the most stringent industry protocol.”

No night work will go on, and full-time engineers will be on-site as demolition occurs, HYM and National Real Estate Advisors said.

Ricardo Patrón, press secretary to Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, said city inspectors signed off on the resumption of demolition after an “extensive” engineering review by John Moriarty and Assoc., the MBTA and independent firms. The project will go forward with a “more precise” demolition method with “constant engineering oversight,” he said, as well as more shoring and other precautionary measures “throughout the garage.”

The Suffolk County District Attorney’s office, the Boston Police Department and the federal Occupational Health and Safety Administration had all opened investigations into Monsini’s death following the incident. Ted Fitzgerald, a federal Department of Labor spokesperson, confirmed the OSHA investigation was still ongoing.

Image courtesy of HYM Investment Group and National Real Estate Advisors