Two East Toledo smoke stacks to be imploded in Marina District

The downtown Toledo skyline is visible behind the remains of the Toledo Edison Acme power plant in the Marina District.

The city of Toledo today issued a detailed advisory about plans for Wednesday to bring down by implosion two tall smoke stacks at the former Toledo Edison power plant in the Marina District on the east side of the Maumee River.

The public is invited to witness the spectacle, but should be prepared for road closures and a large exclusion zone to protect people from flying debris.

The implosion is set for 12:30 p.m. A third stack, standing 298 feet, will remain for now, with plans to reduce it by 100 feet to comply with Federal Aviation Administration regulations.

According to the advisory, portions of Front Street, the Marina District, and the Maumee River will be in the exclusion zone, where no members of the public will be allowed.

Front Street from the Craig Bridge/I-280 ramp to Essex Street and South Marina Drive and Riverside Drive in the Marina District will be closed starting at 10:30 a.m.

Closed at Front will be Carbon, East Broadway, Essex, Licking, Steel, and Worthington streets and Elgin and Maryland avenues.

Members of the general public wishing to view the implosions may do so from Edison Park which is on Front. Media and credentialed people invited by the mayor will be allowed in a media/VIP area in Tribute Park, which is also on Front Street.

The city is encouraging people who live in a three-block area across from the demolition site to leave their homes before noon. If they plan to remain at their residences they must stay inside, according to the city’s advisory. Residents of the area were hand-delivered notices.

The National Museum of the Great Lakes will be closed on Wednesday and will resume operation on Thursday.

Boaters using the Skyway Marina are encouraged to move their boats before 11 a.m. on Wednesday, and water traffic will be prohibited from entering the area from the Craig Bridge to the Martin Luther King Bridge from 10:30 a.m. until the all-clear signal, expected after 1 p.m.

Motorists using the Veterans' Glass City Skyway should expect traffic speed to be reduced or stopped depending on traffic flow prior to the scheduled implosion, the advisory said.

People with respiratory problems should avoid the area for a short time after the implosions. The dust residue on houses, cars, or other outside items can be removed with water. It is recommended that those in the exclusion area shut their windows and turn off air conditioning units just before the implosions to minimize the effect of the dust in the air.

The decommissioned Acme Power Plant was razed two years ago. The implosion and cleanup was budgeted at $388,000, to be paid under a 2011 site clean-up and historic preservation grant. An Oklahoma company, Dykon Corp., will carry out the implosions under a contract wth B&B Wrecking.