The demolition of the K-25 West Wing was completed on January 20, according to an article in yesterday’s Oak Ridger. The demolition of the 884,000-square foot structure took thirteen months and began in December 2008. Debris will be shipped to the Environmental Management Waste Management Facility in Oak Ridge. 9,200 loads of demolition debris have already been shipped to EM facilities.
The K-25 gaseous diffusion plant was built during the Manhattan Project. Occuping 40 acres, it was the largest of the buildings at the East Tennessee Technology Park. The building is a testament to the great human collaboration of tens of thousands of workers during the Manhattan Project. The Atomic Heritage Foundation believes a way can still be found to preserve a portion of the facility and to allow future generations to appreciate the scale of the work performed at Oak Ridge during the war.