Rob Gould, VP and Chief Communications Officer
This morning, BGE’s decommissioned gas holder near W. Cold Spring Lane and the Jones Falls Expressway in Baltimore City is being demolished. This will be a controlled demolition using a series of shaped explosives to safely collapse the 258 foot tall structure.
Not operational since 1997, the 79-year-old tank with a circumference of 218 feet was made obsolete by upgrades to the regional gas system, and this is the sixth gas holder to be demolished by BGE in recent decades. Originally it was constructed on the 26-acre site BGE purchased in 1932 to meet customer demand for manufactured gas (before natural gas was piped to the region), adding gas to the area network of pipelines when demand increased and storing it when demand was lower. The internal roof of the tank rose or lowered depending on the gas volume.
The implosion
will only take seconds, but planning for the demolition started several years ago and site preparation began late last year. A wide safety zone around the site has been established in close coordination with city and state authorities. There will be some brief, temporary traffic closures on nearby roads as a result.
When the demolition occurs, those nearby will hear a loud noise, similar to a thunderstorm overhead. Following the event, the site will be inspected and then normal traffic patterns are expected to resume. The steel structure will then be shorn apart and recycled over the next several months.
Due to the relatively isolated location of the structure and the safety exclusion zone, the best views of the implosion will be on television. BGE has been working with local media to cover the event. Outreach has been a critical part of the careful planning process. Immediately adjacent residents were informed of the work, and BGE has been working with state and local government officials to ensure public safety and minimize the disturbance to the extent possible.
We very much appreciate the patience and cooperation of those nearby in observing the safety perimeter and modified traffic patterns. We apologize for any disturbance and thank you for your cooperation as we complete this project.
