When will the Avon Lake Power Plant in Ohio be demolished?

Justin Dennis and Melissa Reid

5 minutes ago

AVON LAKE, Ohio (WJW) — We now know when part of the Avon Lake Power Plant will be demolished.

City Council members were told Tuesday afternoon that a controlled implosion will take place at the Lake Road plant in the early morning of Wednesday, July 31.

The Ohio Department of Transportation also announced a road closure Tuesday afternoon.

U.S. Route 6 (Lake Road) is expected to be closed between Miller and Moore Roads between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. “due to demolition of structures at the old Avon Lake Power Plant,” the release said.

Then workers set up a 365-meter perimeter to keep people out.

Motorists should detour around the location by taking U.S. Route 6 east to Miller Road, then south to Walker Road, then east to Moore Road, and then back to U.S. Route 6.

The exact date and time of the planned demolition had been withheld for safety reasons. City officials had planned to give residents 30 minutes’ notice, but agreed Monday to send the notice the night before after residents raised concerns about safety and transparency.

Mayor Mark Spaetzel previously advised people not to come and watch the demolition, because it would not be a spectacle. It would not even be visible.

Two boilers in one of the buildings will be detonated using controlled equipment.

Residents can expect dust to linger for about 15 minutes after the explosion, the mayor said. Air quality will be monitored before, during and after the demolition.

The plant was the largest of its kind when it was built in 1926, according to Cleveland Historical. Its demolition, expected to be completed in November, will make way for new development on the lakefront.