Oak Ridge Today

Crashed van plunges down hill, into river after tow cable snaps

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ORFD-at-Melton-Lake-Drive-Van-Into-River-April-13-2016

A Ford van that had crashed alongside Melton Lake Drive plunged down a steep hillside and into the Clinch River after a tow cable snapped Wednesday night, April 13, 2016. Melton Lake Drive was closed for about an hour between Rivers Run and Rolling Links boulevards after the Oak Ridge Fire Department and Oak Ridge Police Department responded. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

A Ford van that had crashed alongside Melton Lake Drive plunged down a steep hillside and into the Clinch River after a tow cable snapped Wednesday night, authorities said.

The white van had crashed into rocks and trees at the crest of a hill on a curved section of Melton Lake Drive between Rivers Run and Rolling Links boulevards in east Oak Ridge. The van was in trees about 25 feet off the road when the tow truck arrived, authorities said.

The van was hung up on rocks and trees, and when the tow truck tried to pull it out, the wrecker’s cable snapped. The van rolled down the hill and into the river, where it sank. Authorities estimated it’s about 100 feet down the embankment. The slope is steep enough that you can’t see the bottom from the top.

The crash was reported at about 9:50 p.m. Wednesday. Melton Lake Drive was closed for about an hour as the Oak Ridge Police Department and Oak Ridge Fire Department investigated. [Read more…]

Small modular nuclear reactors not likely before mid-2020s

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TVA-SMRs-at-NRC-Meeting-April-12-2016

The Tennessee Valley Authority plans to apply by May 12 for an early site permit that could allow small modular nuclear reactors at the Clinch River Site in west Oak Ridge, possibly as soon as the mid-2020s. Pictured above at a U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission meeting to discuss the early site permit on Tuesday, April 12, 2016, is Dan Stout, TVA senior manager for small modular reactors. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The small modular nuclear reactors being evaluated for the Clinch River Site in west Oak Ridge could provide an emissions-free fuel source, but it could be a decade or so before they start operating. And that’s assuming all goes according to plan, officials said Tuesday.

The Tennessee Valley Authority is evaluating the possibility of building the small modular reactors, or SMRs, at the 1,200-acre Clinch River Site. To help prepare for the project, TVA plans to apply for what is known as an early site permit, or ESP, for the Oak Ridge project from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission by May 12.

The NRC had two public meetings at Oak Ridge Associated Universities on Tuesday to discuss the safety and environmental review process related to the TVA permit application.

The early site permit application will allow the NRC to evaluate site safety, the environment, and emergency preparedness for future SMRs at the Clinch River Site. That site is in west Oak Ridge just north of the Clinch River and Interstate 40, south of Heritage Center (the former K-25 site), and between Highway 95 and Highway 58 in a bend of the Clinch River.

The review of TVA’s application for an early site permit could take about three years, and maybe longer if any groups raise legal challenges, said Scott Burnell, NRC public affairs officer. [Read more…]

Crews fight fire inside former Magnet Mills; Clinton City Schools closed Friday

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Magnet Mills Fire Clinton April 7 2016

The former Magnet Mills in Clinton caught fire on Thursday evening, April 7, 2016. (Photo courtesy Philip Warfield)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 10 a.m. April 8.

CLINTON—Crews battled a fire inside the former Magnet Mills in Clinton on Thursday evening, and Clinton City Schools will be closed Friday, April 8.

Charles G. Seivers Boulevard was closed downtown Thursday night as crews fought the fire and prepared to remove items that were still smoldering inside.

Clinton City Schools said schools would be closed because of the fire and the roads that would be closed in the morning.

“This decision was made in an abundance of caution for the safety of our students and staff members,” school officials said.

The fire was reported at about 7:15 p.m. Thursday in one building at the former hosiery mill. The property includes two big, brick warehouse buildings next to CVS Pharmacy between Charles G. Seivers Boulevard and the Clinch River in downtown Clinton. [Read more…]

Swift rescue by nephew saves life of Clinch River fisherman

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TWRA logo for news release

Note: This story was last updated at 8:50 p.m.

NORRIS—A fisherman who fell overboard on the Clinch River below Norris Dam on Sunday afternoon has his nephew to thank for quick action that undoubtedly saved his life, officials said.

Cecil Branscom, 70, of Dublin, Virginia, and his nephew Scott Branscom, 48, of Knoxville, launched their boat at Peach Orchard Access Area on the Clinch River on Sunday afternoon and headed upstream toward Norris Dam. When they reached the weir dam at around 2 p.m., they prepared to begin fishing when the boat’s engine hit a rock in the water, sending Cecil overboard from the front of the vessel into 48-degree water.

Scott Branscom managed to get his uncle back into the boat. Cecil Branscom was wearing several layers of clothing that was saturated from the frigid water, and he was not wearing a life jacket, the press release said. [Read more…]

Radionuclide levels dropping at Rarity Ridge Treatment Plant, but sludge shipments continue for now

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Ken-Glass-Rarity-Ridge-Wasterwater-Treatment-Plan-Jan-4-2016

Ken Glass, Oak Ridge Public Works environmental compliance officer, said levels of technetium 99 in the wastewater system in west Oak Ridge are dropping, but it’s not clear how long UCOR might have to ship sludge from the Rarity Ridge Wastewater Treatment Plant to an out-of-state landfill. Above, Glass stands near a chlorine contact tank at the treatment plant on Monday, Jan. 4, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 9:55 a.m.

The radioactive nuclide that was first detected in the city’s wastewater lines more than two years ago near the demolition project at the former K-25 Building doesn’t affect drinking water, and it’s not believed to pose any threat to residents or municipal employees, officials said this month.

The levels of the radionuclide, technetium 99, are dropping at several measuring spots in the sewer system in west Oak Ridge, but it’s not clear how long UCOR, the federal government’s cleanup contractor, might have to ship sludge from the Rarity Ridge Wastewater Treatment Plant to an out-of-state landfill.

Officials said UCOR has already hauled away about 80,000 gallons of sludge using a 5,000-gallon tanker truck about once every one or two months since 2014. The sludge, which is about 3 percent to 4 percent solid, comes from a part of the plant known as a digester, and the shipments vary depending upon how much is processed at the plant each month.

Officials don’t know yet when the shipments might end. The sludge is now being taken to the Perma-Fix Northwest treatment facility in Richland, Washington. The last shipment was this month. [Read more…]

Man’s body pulled from vehicle submerged in Melton Hill Lake

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Knox County Sheriff Badge

A man’s body was pulled from a vehicle submerged in Melton Hill Lake in west Knox County on Friday evening, authorities said.

The body was pulled out of the vehicle by Knox County Rescue Squad divers.

The Knox County Sheriff’s Office Major Crime Unit is investigating the incident. Witnesses told detectives that they saw a white male back up his SUV from the boat ramp, then put the vehicle in drive and accelerate as it reached the water. This happened shortly after 5 p.m. Friday, the Sheriff’s Office said. [Read more…]

Man taken to hospital, child not injured when truck, boat, trailer roll into water

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A man was taken to the hospital and a child was not injured when a pickup truck, boat, and trailer rolled backward into the Clinch River at Solway Park late Thursday afternoon, authorities said.

The man was pulling the boat out of the water when a young child inside the pickup truck knocked the vehicle out of gear, Oak Ridge Fire Department Battalion Chief David Harrington said. The truck and a boat and trailer that were attached rolled backward into the water at about 4:50 p.m. Thursday.

The man went into the water to get the child and was able to save the kid, who was not injured, but the man got cold from being in the water and was taken to the hospital for an evaluation, Harrington said. [Read more…]

Female driver escapes car after it goes down embankment at Clinch River

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Car in Clinch River on Sept. 28, 2015

There were no immediate reports of injuries, and the driver reportedly escaped when this car went off Melton Lake Drive and down an embankment into the Clinch River on Monday, Sept. 28, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

There were no immediate reports of injuries, and the driver appeared to escape when a small car went off Melton Lake Drive and down an embankment at the Clinch River on Monday night.

The single-vehicle crash was reported at 10:47 p.m. Monday. The female driver was able to reportedly escape from the vehicle, which was said to be partially submerged.

The cause of the crash wasn’t immediately available Monday night. [Read more…]

TDOT: Replacing ‘green bridge’ on US 25W in Clinton could cost $18.8 million

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Hon. William Everette Lewallen Memorial Bridge

The Hon. William Everette Lewallen Memorial Bridge on US 25W in Clinton is pictured above. Also known as “the green bridge,” it could cost $18.8 million to replace, state officials said Thursday. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Replacing the Lewallen Bridge—known as “the green bridge” to locals—on US 25W in Clinton could cost $18.8 million, state officials said Thursday.

The bridge, officially known as the Hon. William Everette Lewallen Memorial Bridge, crosses over the Clinch River, and it connects downtown Clinton to South Clinton.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation said preliminary plans are under development to replace the major bridge, which connects the main route from Clinton to Knoxville. South of Clinton, the road is known as Clinton Highway.

Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam and Tennessee Department of Transportation Commissioner John Schroer gave an update on that and other projects when they sat down with local and state officials in Knoxville on Thursday to discuss the region’s transportation and infrastructure needs, a press release said. [Read more…]

Edgemoor Road bridge temporarily closed after crash leaves car stuck on rail

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Edgemoor Road Bridge Crash

The right rear tire of a vehicle was stuck on the concrete rail of the Edgemoor Road bridge over the Clinch River after a two-vehicle crash between Oak Ridge and Claxton on Friday afternoon. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The right rear tire of a vehicle was stuck on the concrete rail of the Edgemoor Road bridge over the Clinch River after a two-vehicle crash between Oak Ridge and Claxton on Friday afternoon.

The crash was reported at about 1:55 p.m. Friday. Authorities temporarily shut down Edgemoor Road at the bridge. Emergency workers were able to pull the vehicle off the rail at about 2:50 p.m. The stuck vehicle appeared to a compact SUV.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

Copyright 2015 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Concrete Rail at Edgemoor Road Bridge

The concrete rail on the Oak Ridge side of the Edgemoor Road bridge. The Bull Run Fossil Plant in Claxton is pictured in the background.

 

ORFD uses boat, cell phone signals to rescue mountain bikers lost at Haw Ridge

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Oak Ridge Fire Department and Haw Ridge Rescue

The Oak Ridge Fire Department used cell phone signals and a search crew in a boat to rescue three lost mountain bikers at Haw Ridge Park on Sunday night.

 

Note: This story was updated at 3:45 p.m. June 15.

The Oak Ridge Fire Department used cell phone signals and a search crew in a boat to rescue mountain bikers lost at Haw Ridge Park after dark on Sunday.

Dispatchers received a call that the three young men were lost at about 10 p.m. Sunday. Three firefighters launched a large rescue boat stored at East Tennessee Technology Park, the former K-25 site, by about 10:45 p.m. from a boat ramp at Solway Park, which is near Haw Ridge Park.

Oak Ridge Fire Chief Darryl Kerley said the three had stayed on the trails past sunset and became disoriented.

“Without flashlights, they were unable to find their way back to the parking lot, so they called 911 for assistance,” Kerley said. [Read more…]

State grant of $250K will help build eighth lane at Oak Ridge rowing course

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Oak Ridge Rowing Lane Announcement

Tennessee Rep. John Ragan, an Oak Ridge Republican, announces a $250,000 state grant for an eighth lane at the Oak Ridge rowing course on Sunday. Also pictured from left are Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank, Sen. Randy McNally, Anderson County Chamber of Commerce President Rick Meredith, Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Director Jon Hetrick, Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau President Marc DeRose, Oak Ridge City Council member Rick Chinn, and Oak Ridge Rowing Association President Russell Byrd.

 

A $250,000 state grant announced Sunday will be used to help build an eighth lane at the Oak Ridge rowing course. And that’s expected to significantly increase the economic impact of rowing races, or regattas, officials said.

The eighth lane has been on the city’s wish list for years, and it will allow the Oak Ridge Rowing Association to compete for bigger races and international regattas and provide more on-water capacity, allowing more competitors in events like this weekend’s SIRA Regatta.

According to rough estimates, the eighth lane could cost about $350,000 total, said Oak Ridge City Council member Rick Chinn, the father of two former rowers and a rower himself. That means the City of Oak Ridge might have to contribute up to $100,000 to complete the project.

Tennessee Representative John Ragan, the Oak Ridge Republican who spearheaded the effort to get state funding, said the regional impact of the regattas in Oak Ridge is estimated at $13 million now, but it could increase to $33 million, according to a University of Tennessee study. [Read more…]