U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (EM) crews at Oak Ridge are moving closer toward completing the first-ever demolition of a former uranium enrichment facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex as crews reroute utilities around the structure.
Office of Environmental Management
July 2, 2024
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An Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management crew member works to install one of three bridges to support the relocation of utilities away from the Alpha-2 facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex. Each bridge weighs over 2,000 pounds.
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (EM) crews at Oak Ridge are moving closer toward completing the first-ever demolition of a former uranium enrichment facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex as crews reroute utilities around the structure.
Workers are slated to begin demolition on the Alpha-2 building this fall. Initiating teardown of the facility is an EM priority for 2024.
The 325,000-square-foot Manhattan Project-era facility is one of nine uranium enrichment process buildings constructed at Y-12. Its removal by the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) and contractor UCOR will eliminate a high-risk excess contaminated facility, enable modernization and clear land to support national security missions.
Numerous active utilities, including steam, air, gas and water, are located around the Alpha-2 facility. Those utilities support ongoing operations at the Y-12 National Security Complex. Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management crews must move the utilities before demolition of Alpha-2 can begin.
The Alpha-2 project has presented challenges, but workers continue making progress on one of the biggest EM projects to date at Y-12.
Among the challenges: removing legacy materials from the building, the presence of mercury contamination, the need to reroute utilities and Alpha-2’s proximity to other operating facilities.
“Getting this building ready for demolition has been a major undertaking,” OREM Project Manager Morgan Carden said. “With this project happening at an active national security site, we’re working carefully to make headway without impacting ongoing operations.”
A yearlong effort to design and install bridges enables the relocation of utilities away from the Alpha-2 building and the subsequent demolition of the facility. The bridges will accommodate future vehicular traffic even after the Alpha-2 teardown is complete.
Crews are relocating several key Y-12 utilities — including steam, air, gas and water — around Alpha-2 to support demolition of the building. UCOR crews have installed three structural steel bridges to support the relocation of utilities.
“Each bridge weighs over 2,000 pounds and took over a year to design and build,” UCOR Project Manager Harrison Boyd said.
The yearlong effort to design, inspect, modify and install the bridges accommodates future vehicular traffic even after demolition is complete.
Relocation of the utilities is expected to be complete later this summer.
-Contributor: Carol Hendrycks
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