Demolition begins at Airport Hilton site for runway expansion | Video

DANIA BEACH

The gradual process of bringing down a hotel and parking garage next to a busy highway and airport began Tuesday with the swift yank of a palm tree.

A demolition crew braved the chilly temperature early Tuesday morning and began clearing the way for the new runway expansion project at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

The old Airport Hilton, built in the mid-80s, is located smack dab in an area that will serve as a protection zone for the "worst-case scenario involving an aircraft," officials said.

Once completed, the area being worked on will feature a large field of grass that runs along the runway and three towers operated by the Federal Aviation Administration.

"Today is a symbol of what's to come as we make way for the expansion," said Broward County Aviation spokesman Greg Meyer.

Using the steel jaws of an excavator, crews with The BG Group LLC began their work on Tuesday by leveling the trees and shrubbery before moving on to the two-story parking garage located just north of the hotel.

Despite the demolition, guests are still being welcomed at the hotel until April. That's when crews will train their earth-moving machinery on the eight-story hotel that is prominently visible from the highway.

Until the hotel demolition begins, officials are leaving an abandoned two-story building between the hotel and the garage to serve as a noise buffer for guests.

Sitting outside on a bench along the driveway while having a smoke, business traveler Diane Simpson, of Jackson, Tenn., said she barely noticed the activity nearby.

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Demolition begins at Airport Hilton site for runway expansion | Video