One Big Blast And The Old Wood River Power Plant Smoke Stacks Are Gone

EAST ALTON - Demolition of the old Wood River Power Plant three tall stacks came down as planned around 8 a.m. Sunday.

The stack's demolition occurred quickly, in about a 10-second time period. Spiritas Wrecking Company in St. Louis did the demolition.

Demolition of the old Wood River Power Plant building next to the three tall stacks took place on Monday, February 1. Since then they have been hauling away the building preparing for the stacks to come down.

East Alton Fire Chief Tim Quigley said the three towers went down with no problem. He said the towers were demolished and fell perfectly.

Now they can work on the cleanup of the area," he said. "It was neat to see, especially the concrete one. It took time for it to fall and kept your eyes on it. Basically, this is the first step in the right direction to get the property cleaned up and get some business in there. It will be incredible to see what is not there when we drive by starting Sunday afternoon."

Saturday, Illinois 143 was closed down from 9 a.m. that day until noon, Sunday, March 14, because of the implosion.

"The closure was between Enviro Way on the East end to Locks and Dam Way on the West end," East Alton Fire Chief Quigley explained. "On Saturday, the walkway and conveyor over Illinois Route 143 were removed."

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.

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Dan Brannan also contributed to this story.

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