OAK RIDGE, Tenn. (WATE) — Clean up efforts at Y-12’s demolished Alpha-2 facility, one of the facilities that helped create the first atomic bombs, are nearing completion after crews removed 81 million pounds of debris.
Wednesday morning, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) shared photos of the cleanup efforts that included United Cleanup Oak Ridge (UCOR) crews removing nearly 3,500 truckloads of debris left behind by the demolition of the 325,000-square-foot former uranium enrichment building, which was used during the Manhattan Project.
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According to OREM, crews completed the demolition process six months ahead of schedule, and the waste disposal signifies a final chapter of the demolition project. Demolition began in December 2024 and was initially expected to continue into 2027.
“Bringing the Alpha-2 building down was a significant achievement, but now the team has accomplished something equally as important by removing all the waste,” said Morgan Carden, Y-12 portfolio federal project director. “It’s rewarding to see how our cleanup progress is modernizing the site and providing the space necessary for new infrastructure.”
In 2021, plans were shared that three 1940s-era buildings at Y-12 would be demolished. The Alpha-2 facility was the largest of the three, and notably is one of nine uranium enrichment buildings that have been constructed at Y-12…