NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) - A cluster of old fuel tanks are being demolished at the old Navy base in North Charleston.
The nearly century-old metal, concrete and brick structures will be removed beginning this week, The Post and Courier of Charleston (https://bit.ly/1ihzw2L) reported. The demolition is expected to take up to three months.
It’s part of the effort to convert the area to a new railroad yard.
Palmetto Railways plans to build a 90-acre rail yard. The $180 million project will allow shipping containers to be transferred between trucks and trains. It’s part of the State Ports authority’s plans to build a new container port nearby.
The projects are to be completed by 2018.
Officials say the eight tanks were used to store fuel and water but have not been used in decades.
“They’re somewhat iconic because they’ve been around since the ’20s and ’30s, but it will go a long way in cleaning up of the old Navy base,” said Jeff McWhorter, president and CEO of the railway.
The Navy and the Department of Health and Environmental Control will assist in the demolition.
The Army Corps of Engineers is preparing a study that will assess the economic, environmental and social consequences of the railroad project.
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Information from: The Post and Courier, https://www.postandcourier.com
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