• About
    • About Us
    • What We Cover
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Our Advertisers
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Send News
  • Subscribe

Oak Ridge Today

  • Home
  • Sign in
  • News
    • Business
    • Community
    • Education
    • Government
    • Health
    • Police and Fire
    • U.S. Department of Energy
    • Weather
  • Sports
    • High School
    • Middle School
    • Recreation
    • Rowing
    • Youth
  • Entertainment
    • Arts
    • Dancing
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Theater
  • Premium Content
  • Obituaries
  • Classifieds




Updated: K-25 Viewing Platform will be built

Posted at 4:12 pm February 2, 2022
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Artist rendering of the new Viewing Platform, which will be located next to the recently constructed K-25 History Center overlooking the footprint of the K-25 Building. (Artist renderings by David Brown)

Note: This story was updated at 9 a.m. Feb. 4.

Two federal agencies have agreed to build a K-25 Viewing Platform at the historic site in west Oak Ridge that was used to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons and nuclear power plants during World War II and the Cold War. The design is expected to be complete in March and the building completed by the end of 2023.

The construction agreement for the viewing building at the former K-25 site was signed by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The viewing platform will give visitors a view of the large 44-acre footprint of the former K-25 Building. K-25, which was the world’s largest building, was erected during World War II as part of the Manhattan Project to help enrich uranium for the world’s first atomic bombs during World War II. The K-25 Building was demolished in 2013, and many other structures at the site have been removed as the federal government turns over property for private development.

The K-25 Building site itself is now part of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. That project commemorates the workers, equipment, and processes used during the Manhattan Project in Oak Ridge, Tennessee; Hanford, Washington; and Los Alamos, New Mexico.

The K-25 Viewing Platform and associated exhibits are the final components of a multi-project agreement that the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management signed in 2012, clearing the way for demolition of the North Tower of the mile-long, U-shaped K-25 Building. The projects commemorate the history of the K-25 site, which has also been known as the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant.

“The new facility (the viewing platform) will be adjacent to the recently opened K-25 History Center and provide visitors a complete view of the building’s massive 44-acre footprint,” a press release said. “The agreement also involves installing 12 wayside exhibits around K-25’s footprint.”

“We are grateful for the emergence of this new partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that allows us to move forward on this project,” said OREM Acting Manager Laura Wilkerson. “The community has been excited about the idea of this facility, and we are looking forward to fulfilling our commitment through the assistance and special skills the Corps provides.”

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will begin by performing a constructability review of the design, the press release said. Once that is completed and the design finalized—expected in March—USACE will put the project out for bid and will manage the selected construction subcontractor. Construction is expected to begin by this fall with the viewing platform completed by the end of 2023, the press release said.

A cost estimate could be available after the bids are received, said Ben Williams, spokesperson for the DOE Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management.

“We value our continued partnership with the Department of Energy and look forward to managing this construction project,” said Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Sahl, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District commander. “The Nashville District was involved with the Manhattan Project at Oak Ridge between 1943 and 1945, so we are excited to be part of this project that draws attention to a larger national historic preservation effort to commemorate the importance of the historic K-25 building.”

While the K-25 History Center focuses on the men and women who built and operated the Oak Ridge Diffusion Plant during the Manhattan Project and Cold War, the K-25 Viewing Platform will help visitors understand the scope and magnitude of the site, the press release said.

Officials celebrated the opening of the K-25 History Center in 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down activities across the world. The K-25 History Center was another part of the 2012 agreement, and so was a grant to preserve the historic Alexander Inn, which is now an assisted living center in central Oak Ridge.

Artist aerial rendering of the new Viewing Platform (back), which will be located next to the recently constructed K-25 History Center (front) overlooking the footprint of the K-25 Building (right and upper right). (Artist rendering by David Brown)

Earlier historic preservation plans had envisioned an Equipment Building at the site, but the cost estimates exceeded the money that was available for historic preservation commitments at K-25, Williams said. The original design also presented increased maintenance responsibilities and safety considerations.

However, the revised plans for the Viewing Platform announced this week still include information, displays, and exhibits for visitors about the process gas equipment that was used in Building K-25, Williams said.

Williams said the parties that signed the 2012 agreement have concurred with the revised approach for the Viewing Platform.

When constructed in 1944, Building K-25 was the largest structure in the world, and it “carried an equally immense and important mission to help end a global war by producing uranium for the world’s first nuclear weapon (Little Boy),” the press release said. “Yet despite its size and urgent work, the public would not learn of its existence in Oak Ridge until the end of World War II.”

Uranium enrichment operations ceased in 1985, and the site was permanently shut down in 1987. Afterward, DOE committed to and began a massive environmental cleanup effort to transform the site into a multi-use industrial park for the community. That effort involved tearing down five massive enrichment facilities, including the K-25 Building, and 500 other structures that supported operations at the site, the press release said.

OREM and its contractor UCOR completed demolition of the K-25 Building in 2013 and finished all demolition at the site in 2020.

“That accomplishment marked the first time in the world an enrichment complex has been taken down,” the press release said. “OREM and UCOR completed the effort four years ahead of schedule, saving taxpayers $500 million.”

The transformed site, now called the East Tennessee Technology Park, already has numerous private businesses onsite along with large conservation areas and a national park. The K-25 Building footprint is within the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, a unit of the National Park Service that contains sites in Oak Ridge, Hanford, and Los Alamos.

Artist rendering from the parking lot of the new Viewing Platform (center), which will be located next to the recently constructed K-25 History Center overlooking the footprint of the K-25 Building. The mile-long, U-shaped K-25 Building “footprint” is off to the right of this image. (Artist rendering by David Brown)

More information will be added as it becomes available.

Most news stories on Oak Ridge Today are free, brought to you by Oak Ridge Today with help from our advertisers, contributors, and subscribers. This is a free story. Thank you to our advertisers, contributors, and subscribers. You can see what we cover here.


Do you appreciate this story or our work in general? If so, please consider a monthly subscription to Oak Ridge Today. See our Subscribe page here. Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today!

Alternatively, you can donate to support our work here. Thank you for your support!

Copyright 2021 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Filed Under: Federal, Government, K-25, K-25, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, Slider, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Ben Williams, Cold War, DOE, East Tennessee Technology Park, equipment building, Joseph Sahl, K-25 Building, K-25 History Center, K-25 Viewing Platform, Laura Wilkerson, Manhattan Project, Manhattan Project National Historical Park, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, OREM, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Department of Energy, UCOR, uranium enrichment, USACE

Advertisements

 

Join the club!

If you appreciate our work, please consider subscribing. Besides helping us, your subscription will give you access to our premium content.

Most of our stories are free, brought to you by Oak Ridge Today with help from our members—advertisers, subscribers, and sponsors.

But some are premium content, available only to members. Those are in-depth, investigative, or exclusive stories that are available only on Oak Ridge Today. They generally require at least four hours to report, write, and publish.

You can subscribe for as little as $5 per month.

You can read more about your options here.

We currently offer five primary subscription options to readers, and they include benefits.

Basic

  • Basic monthly subscription ($5 per month)—access premium content
  • Basic annual subscription ($60 per year)—access premium content

Pro

  • Pro monthly subscription ($10 per month)—access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month
  • Pro annual subscription ($100 per year)—save $20 per year, access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month

Temporary

  • Temporary access ($3 per week for two weeks)

We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here.

We also accept donations. You can donate here.

If you prefer to send a check for a subscription or donation, you may do so by mailing one to:

Oak Ridge Today
P.O. Box 6064
Oak Ridge, TN 37831

Thank you for your consideration and for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support.

Commenting Guidelines

We welcome comments, but we ask you to follow a few guidelines:

1) Please use your real name, including last name. Please also use a valid e-mail address.
2) Be civil. Don't insult others, attack their character, or get personal.
3) Stick to the issues.
4) No profanity.
5) Keep your comments to a reasonable length and to a reasonable number per article.

We reserve the right to remove any comments that violate these guidelines. Comments held for review, usually from those posting for the first time, may not post if they violate these guidelines. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Thank you also for reading Oak Ridge Today and for participating in the discussion.

More information is available here.

More Government News

Update on downtown Oak Ridge Tuesday

A city official will give an update on the proposed development of downtown Oak Ridge during a lunchtime meeting Tuesday. The presentation will be led by Wayne Blasius, director of the Oak Ridge Planning and … [Read More...]

Clinch-River-Site-Bear-Creek-Road-Entrance-March-27-2016

TVA has virtual open house for Clinch River Nuclear Site

The Tennessee Valley Authority will have a virtual open house for the Clinch River Nuclear Site in west Oak Ridge this evening (Thursday, March 10). The open house follows the release of a draft environmental impact … [Read More...]

Oak Ridge names first honorary poet laureate

The City of Oak Ridge has named Erin Elizabeth Smith as its first honorary poet laureate. Smith will serve in this role for a two-year period, a press release said. "In this role, she will inspire and promote literacy … [Read More...]

Breakfast with Legislators on Feb. 28

The first Breakfast with the Legislators this year is scheduled for Monday morning, February 28. The breakfast will be virtual, and it scheduled from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. It has been organized by the League of Women … [Read More...]

Tax assistance center opens Feb. 8

The Oak Ridge Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Center will open on Tuesday. The VITA program is an Internal Revenue Service initiative to help taxpayers by providing trained volunteers to prepare and electronically … [Read More...]

More Government

More U.S. Department of Energy News

DOE, UCOR to highlight ETTP transformation, opportunities

The U.S. Department of Energy and its contractor UCOR will highlight the transformation of the East Tennessee Technology Park (the former K-25 site) and discuss the economic opportunities there during a virtual event on … [Read More...]

CROET president tells Oak Ridge story on national podcast

Teresa Frady, president of the Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee, is the Spotlight Interview guest on this week’s episode of the Gone Fission Nuclear Report podcast, which covers U.S. Department of … [Read More...]

Workers devise strategies to clean up high-risk contaminated lab at ORNL

Innovation has been required as federal cleanup crews work to deactivate and demolish the final portion of the former Radioisotope Development Laboratory at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The structure is known as the … [Read More...]

Controlled burns scheduled on Oak Ridge Reservation

Controlled burns are scheduled on the U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Reservation. "The public should expect to see some smoke from this activity," a press release said. "However, smoke in this and other areas in … [Read More...]

Scientist-entrepreneur to talk about regenerative medicine, potential COVID treatment

A former molecular geneticist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory will discuss regenerative medicine and a potential treatment for severe COVID-19 disease patients and those who struggle with "long haul" symptoms. The talk … [Read More...]

More DOE

Recent Posts

  • REAC/TS welcomes new team members: John Crapo, Josh Hayes and David Quillen
  • NASA Postdoctoral Program seeks early career and senior scientists for prestigious fellowships at its locations across the U.S.
  • ORAU names Brandon Criswell associate general counsel
  • Update on downtown Oak Ridge Tuesday
  • TVA has virtual open house for Clinch River Nuclear Site
  • Science and supercomputers at ORNL topic of Mar. 8 talk
  • First Presbyterian offers free meals & groceries on Mar. 10
  • Secret City Academy student charged with terrorism after alleged shooting, bomb threats
  • ORHS Masquers presents ‘Into the Woods’
  • Oak Ridge’s first girl Eagle Scout named a “Scout of the Year”

Search Oak Ridge Today

About Us

About Oak Ridge Today
What We Cover

How To

Advertise
Subscribe

Contact Us

Contact Oak Ridge Today

Copyright © 2022 Oak Ridge Today