US Steel has demolished permanently idled stacks at its Gary Works steel mill. Four stacks at its flagship steel mill were torn down along the Lake Michigan lakeshore in downtown Gary, Indiana.
“It sounded like a wall of bricks collapsed, then my house shook.”
Christina Rodriguez, northern Gary resident
“It sounded like a wall of bricks collapsed, then my house shook,” said Christina Rodriguez, who lives two blocks from the Hard Rock Northern Indiana casino in Gary.
The stacks were part of the Gary Works' coke-making operations at the vertically integrated steel mill that was built in the early 20th century when the city of Gary was founded as a company town serving US Steel's commercial interests. They were permanently idled in 2013.
"If there is inclement weather or other delay, Friday ... will serve as a back-up date," US Steel said in a statement earlier this week. "Residents in the area may hear noises on these dates. Notifications have been made to relevant local and state agencies."
US Steel permanently closed its coke-making plant at the Gary Works in 2015, displacing the final 300 workers. The Pittsburgh-based steelmaker had produced more than 590kt/yr of coke at the last remaining Gary Works coke battery.
Source: Chicago Tribune