SOMERSET, Mass. (WPRI) — The days are numbered for the biggest landmarks of the old coal-fired energy plant at Brayton Point in Somerset.
The cooling towers are scheduled to be imploded Saturday, April 27.
Leading up to that day, the new owners of the property, Commercial Development Company, Inc., are working with transportation, utility, and public officials on safety plans.
In a presentation to a town meeting at Somerset High School Tuesday night, CDC updated residents on how the work was going.
So far, the property has been rebranded as the “Brayton Point Commerce Center” with the intent of becoming a hub of logistics, manufacturing, and support for industries like wind energy. Environmental cleanup is done. Still ahead are improvements at the quayside, set for the second half of 2019.
When the implosion day arrives, and the towers crumble, dust will be flying, but walls at the bases will be kept up to limit some of the dust. Other measures include a rolling roadblock on I-195 to hold off drivers, and a detour of Route 103.
The honor of initiating the implosion — “flipping the switch,” if you will — will be raffled off to benefit the project to build a memorial wall to Vietnam War veterans in Fall River.
If needed, the backup day for the tower demolition is the next day, Sunday, April 28.
CDC said 98 percent of the materials demolished at the site will be re-used.
The totally re-engineered, new operation is expected to open for business in January 2020.