The discovery of 68 asbestos-filled elevator doors delayed demolition work at an East Liberty high-rise for three weeks, and workers only were allowed to return Friday to continue the project.

The 17-story East Mall high-rise, which once served as low-income housing and straddled Penn Avenue, was demolished one floor at a time, beginning this summer.

About three weeks ago, as workers were removing rubble, they found an elevator door that had broken open. Between the two layers of steel was asbestos. Work on the project stopped immediately and warning signs were posted.

Engineers and the demolition company, Titan Wrecking and Environmental of Kenmore, N.Y., worked with the Allegheny County Health Department. Some Titan employees took a 40-hour training class to learn how to safely package and remove the asbestos.

They returned to work Friday, wearing hazardous materials suits and respirators.

Their job now is to pick through the debris and find each elevator door, wrap it in plastic and transport it to a properly permitted landfill, said Guillermo Cole, a spokesman for the Health Department. If any of the doors are damaged, or the asbestos is exposed, workers also will clean the area around them.

To ensure asbestos particles don't spread, the demolition company has been continuing to wet down the site.

"We think there's minimal risk to the public," Cole said.

Before the $800,000 demolition project started, a company was brought in to inventory asbestos-containing material, and another company removed it, said John Coyne, director of engineering and construction for the city's Urban Redevelopment Authority, which is heading the project.

Typically, asbestos is found in ceiling and floor tiles and insulation. No one involved in the high-rise project had ever heard of its inclusion in elevator doors.

No one will be cited for violations related to the asbestos in the doors, Cole said.

"This was unknown. This wasn't any willful act," he said.

The Health Department did fine Titan Wrecking last month for failing to control dust levels at the site. The company had been warned on June 24. On Aug. 17, the Health Department cited Titan after receiving further complaints. The fine was $1,425.

The job is scheduled for completion the end of next month. Penn Avenue will be reopened and traffic restrictions lifted, Coyne said.

Some businesspeople have complained about inconvenience, including losing vehicular traffic and customers.

At the Super Dollar, manager Eeid Ghanem said sales have fallen from $100,000 a month to barely $25,000.

"It's almost impossible to do that kind of work and not affect people," said Jerry Dettore, URA executive director. "There's really no way to avoid it.

"East Liberty is continuing to be revitalized," he said. "In the longer term, that's really positive."