3-year, $37 million demolition of ex-GM plant set to begin

The General Motors trust that owns the former Willow Run Powertrain Plant is beginning the process for what could be a 3-year, $37.6 million demolition and cleanup of the mostly vacant 320-acre property.

The project likely wont cost that much, but liquidator RACER Trust wants to have enough money on hand to remediate and cleanup the area for the next 100 years, if necessary.

Ypsilanti Township want proceeds from the sale of the former GM Plant's scrap materials to go toward redevelopment of the property.

Tom Perkins | For AnnArbor.com

Grant Trigger, RACERS Michigans cleanup manager, said the demolition and clean up involves two separate sites. The first site that will be addressed is the 20-acre former company vehicle operations area south of Tyler Pond.

The second portion is the demolition of the main plant, which is a challenge for the scope of the project. There are 83 acres of factory under the roof and 320 acres of property. Demolition is expected to begin in August and should take around a year, and the remediation could last another two to three years.

Aside from the challenge of taking down one of the worlds largest industrial complexes, Trigger estimates there are 40 acres of ground water contaminated with oils and chemicals that have seeped through the floor.

The oil is relatively mild, if you will, but it still slowly seeps into the sewers, so we have to manage that contaminated groundwater, he said.

Removing the building will accelerate that process. Each time it rains, RACER must treat the stormwater that falls on the building, since it is collected into the storm system then contaminated by the groundwater, which has 60 years worth of oils and chemicals in it.

Oil containers at the former GM Willow Run plant.

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3-year, $37 million demolition of ex-GM plant set to begin