Oak Ridge’s Alpha-2 Demolition Hits First Milestone

Alpha-2 is the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management’s largest demolition to date at the Y-12 National Security Complex. The former uranium enrichment facility dates to the Manhattan Project and spans more than 2.5 acres.

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — The U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) and cleanup contractor UCOR have achieved a significant milestone on the biggest demolition project to date at the Y-12 National Security Complex.

Crews have safely brought down the south side of the Alpha-2 building. The structure is approximately the length of a football field and spans 2.5 acres. With the latest progress, workers have removed 34,000 square feet of the 325,000-square-foot facility since beginning the teardown last fall.

“Safely and successfully removing this portion of the building is a crucial first step as we work to accomplish the largest demolition project yet at Y-12,” said OREM Project Manager Morgan Carden. “Removal of the south side gives our crews more room to work with in a very tight footprint. These crews have made outstanding progress and preparations are underway to keep that momentum going.”

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.

Constructed in 1944, Alpha-2 originally conducted uranium enrichment operations as part of the Manhattan Project.

Today, the structure is categorized as a high-risk excess contaminated facility due to its contents and level of deterioration. Its removal eliminates risks, modernizes the site and clears land to support national security missions.

“Because Y-12 is an active production complex, being able to bring this section down gives us more breathing room as we prepare to continue demolition on the rest of the structure,” said UCOR Y-12 Cleanup Area Project Manager Larry Brede. “We’ve made great progress and look forward to embarking on the next phase of demolition.”

Teams have successfully cleared away the south side of the Alpha-2 facility. The structure is approximately the length of a football field. Next, crews will address the northeast portion and high bay area of the facility.

A major accomplishment that has helped facilitate this project, and others in the future, is the completion of a yearlong utilities reroute project.

Workers rerouted all piping systems to isolate them from the Alpha-2 building. This separation of active systems is crucial for ensuring demolition efforts do not impact the facilities and piping systems supporting Y-12’s ongoing operations.

The northeast portion and high bay of Alpha-2 are the next areas scheduled for demolition. Due to the height of the structure, employees must assemble special high-reach equipment in coming weeks to conduct the next phases of the teardown.

The Alpha-2 demolition is slated for completion in 2027.

-Contributor: Carol Hendrycks