St. Paul Explosion: Xcel Power Station Smokestack Toppled Saturday Morning

Were you woken up by the bang! on Saturday morning? The two explosions were Xcel Energy demolishing the smokestack at the High Bridge power station in St. Paul. (The first bang was the explosives, the second was the tower hitting the ground.) The demolition is part of the plan to replace the 1928 coal-fired plant with a cleaner, natural-gas burning facility.

The explosions are controversial due to the smokestack's close proximity to the High Bridge over the Mississippi, and concerns that the explosion could weaken or damage the 160 foot high bridge.

And we do know something about what happens to weak bridges, here in the Twin Cities. A collapse of the longer, and higher, High Bridge could potentially be even more catastrophic than the Interstate 35W bridge disaster in Minneapolis last year.

Local residents are also worried about dust from the explosion. Xcel says that there is no asbestos or other hazardous materials in the smokestack. Xcel are spraying the area with water to contain as much dust as possible.

The alternative to the explosions was slower methods which basically involve dismantling the smokestack piece by piece. Xcel decided against this, citing the much greater length of time needed to complete the demolition, and also worker safety.

What do you think? Should Xcel have blown up the smoke stack? Should they have demolished it with "gentler" methods? And would you feel safe driving over the High Bridge today?

_{The High Bridge Smokestack, and the High Bridge, as seen in early June 2008. Photo Clara James}