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EAST ALTON - Demolition of the old Wood River Power Plant building next to the three tall stacks went “flawlessly,” East Alton Fire Department Chief Tim Quigley said immediately following the blast that took place around 8 a.m. on Monday, February 1.
The building demolition occurred quickly, in about a 10-second time period, and was “a quick drop,” as Chief Quigley called it.
Spiritas Wrecking Company in St. Louis did the demolition. The three stacks will be taken down in an estimated four to six weeks if everything goes as planned, Chief Quigley said.
Chief Quigley said it took a little longer to open Illinois Route 143, which was closed during the demolition than was originally planned, although traffic was moving again in about 30 minutes after demolition. He said the next time, they will plan for a slightly longer period to keep the road closed.
“Everything went down exactly like they expected to,” Chief Quigley said after talking with Spiritas reps following the demolition.
The remains of the old Wood River Plant structure will now be hauled off and work will commence so the stacks will be brought down in the next part of the process. The stacks were originally supposed to go down today, but that was changed on Saturday.
Liability Partners in St. Louis purchased the site on Illinois Route 143 in September 2019 after Dynegy Midwest Generation closed the plant so that the area can be developed.
Considerable remediation will be done now and after the stacks are removed from the old plant.
Chris Rhodes also contributed to this story.
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