Oak Ridge

An aerial view of the Alpha-2 facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex after crews completed demolition on its south side. The building measures 325,000 square feet and covers 2.5 acres of land.

Demolition close-up: The final hot cell bank at the former Radioisotope Development Laboratory is divided into subcells A and B. Demolition is underway on subcell B, which comprises the far left side of the structure.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and its construction contractor, Geiger Brothers, have completed construction on the K-25 Interpretive Center. The facility will help visitors understand the size and scope of the former Manhattan Project and Cold War-era uranium enrichment complex.

A test tube containing milligrams of extremely rare thorium-229. Only 1 gram of the isotope exists outside of Oak Ridge. Isotek expects to provide 40 grams to support cancer treatment research.

Transuranic Waste Processing Center workers safely replaced the facility’s 900-pound waste-drum crusher, restoring the center’s full waste processing capabilities for an ongoing cellulosic waste campaign.

Crews began demolition of the Alpha-2 building in fall 2024, and they have already removed 34,000 square feet from the 325,000-square-foot facility.

The Old Steam Plant undergoes demolition. The 13,454-square-foot facility was built in 1943. Over its more than 80-year lifespan, the facility supported uranium operations, fuels testing, maintenance and storage.

Crews at the White Wing Scrap Yard safely complete deforestation activities, clearing over 39 acres of trees, processing 17 acres of timber and packaging close to 400 bags of legacy soil to support future remedial activities and commercial redevelopment there.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory deactivation and demolition crews push forward to remove the 16th of 18 highly radioactive materials from the legacy Building 3029 hot cells.

The repaired manipulator arm at Building 3029 is shown after crews used the mechanical drive on the left arm to successfully restore the right arm.

Manipulator arms are remote-controlled equipment that limit exposure inside highly contaminated facilities by grabbing contaminants remotely without crews entering the facility. Here, a manipulator arm grabs a hot plate.