WILLOW RUN BIRTH, REBIRTH, AND RE-REBIRTH Vice President James M. Harless, PhD, CHMM Vice President / Principal
Presentation Overview Birth Rebirth Re-Rebirth B24 Liberator Bomber Plant Post World War II (Kaiser & GM) National Museum and ACM
Birth 1940-1945
1940 PRE-WAR MOBILIZATION 50,000 Airplanes FDR asks Congress 130,000 Engines to make the U.S. the Bernard Baruch William Knudson 17,000 Heavy guns Arsenal of Democracy 25,000 Light guns Wm. Knudsen, 13,000 President Mortars of GM, was named 33,000,000 Shells presidential liaison to industry 9,200 Tanks Knudsen begins 300,000 making Machine Detroit guns and ammo the Arsenal of 400,000 Automatic rifles and ammo Democracy 1,300,000 Rifles and ammo 380 Navy ships 200 Mercantile ships And more
1941 - THE B24 LIBERATOR Designed in 1938 by Consolidated Aircraft Co. Built in San Diego 66 long w/ 110 wingspan 4 engines @ 1,200 hp ea. Weight - 50,000 lbs. Payload - 8,000 lbs. Range - 3,000 mi. @ 300 mph
MAKE MORE BOMBERS Edsel Ford Chas. Sorensen Charles Sorensen Maj. Jimmy Doolittle
SORENSEN S IDEA
LIBERATOR PRODUCTION PLANNING The problems o Custom parts; no two alike (not interchangeable) o Tolerances 1/32 vs. 1/1000 o Wrong metallurgy and production o No blueprints The solutions 200 engineers for 4 mos. o Stamped parts 1 mile/day o New metal 5.6 million sq. ft. o Make blueprints
THE PLANT February 1941 - Design by Albert Kahn and Assoc. began May 1941- Construction began on plant and airfield October 1941 First parts production May 1942 First bomber delivered
WILLOW RUN JUNE 1942
PRODUCTION LINES
BOMBERS ROLL OFF THE LINE
DELIVERY
Rebirth 1945-2011
KAISER-FRAZER 1945-1953 Produced 740,000 Kaiser and Frazer model automobiles (1945-1953) Produced 88 C-199 Flying Boxcar airplanes for the Korean War (1951-1953) Kaiser purchased Willys-Overland (became Kaiser Jeep) and moved to Toledo in 1953
GM HYDRAMATIC 1953-2010 GM acquired plant after Livonia transmission plant burned in late 1953 Expanded to over 5,000,000 sq. ft. Produced over 82,000,000 vehicle transmissions for GM and 11 other companies Produced M16 rifles and M39A1 20 mm aircraft cannons during Vietnam War
GM HYDRAMATIC PLANT DIES June 2009 GM bankruptcy and plant closing announcement December 2010 Production ceased March 2011 Site transferred to the RACER Trust
Re-Rebirth 2011 - Today
REDEVELOPMENT IMPEDIMENTS Size o > 5,000,000 sq. ft. of obsolete building and concrete slab o ~330 acres Most utilities have to be replaced Major environmental impairment
RESIDUAL ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES Regulatory o RCRA Corrective Action o 2020 Priority Site Contaminants o Some VOCs o PCBs o Common industrial constituents (PAHs, metals) o NAPL (machining and other oils)
NAPL
SITE PREPARATION ACTIVITIES - RACER Demolition of structures (2014) PCB removal and encapsulation concrete, electrical vaults and conduits Soil excavation and disposal Groundwater capture and treatment system
REDEVELOPMENT National Museum of Aviation and Technology (c/k/a Yankee Air Museum (YAM)) American Center for Mobility (ACM)
YANKEE AIR MUSEUM DESTROYED October 2004: YAM burns 2005 2008: Regroup 2008: Commit to a new home October 2010: Reopen in temporary quarters at Willow Run
SAVE THE BOMBER PLANT Early 2011: Idea is born Save the Bomber Plant to house new museum Early 2012: RACER Trust decides to demolish plant; YAM begins negotiations to acquire the delivery end of the Bomber Plant October 2012: YAM acquires 144,000 sq. ft. of former Bomber Plant and 17 acres of land 2014: Remainder of Hydramatic Plant demolished
SAVE THE BOMBER PLANT Fundraising and building acquisition/restoration Current museum operations and NMAT design Future museum operations
THE PLAN
SAVING A PIECE OF HISTORY
PREPARATION FOR TRANSFER - RACER Machinery and equipment removal Asbestos abatement Wood block floor removal and disposal Demolition of pipes and structures below roof trusses Vapor intrusion assessment
SAVING A PIECE OF HISTORY - 2014
SAVING A PIECE OF HISTORY 2014
RESTORATION FIRST STEPS Remove and dispose PCB transformers Assess PCB contamination Remove flaking lead paint and oil films Complete the exterior and interior demolition Close up the building
RESTORATION 2015-2016
RESTORATION 2015-2016
RESTORATION 2017-2019 Install in-ground utilities Install HVAC, plumbing, and electrical Pour new concrete floor Paint interior Build out mezzanine and annex Construct parking lot
THE FUTURE - NMAT
ACM IS BORN January 2016: Michigan announced plans to create ACM to take over redevelopment November 2016: ACM acquired remaining 311 acres January 2017: USDOT designated ACM as a national proving grounds for Connected and Automated Vehicle (CAV) research and testing Spring Summer 2017: Construction to begin
ACM STARTING POINT
PROVING GROUNDS Urban area Rural area USER Suburban area (residential URBAN/ commercial) Off road User defined OFF ROAD RURAL High speed highway/freeway Tunnel, bridge, railroad crossing SUBURBAN RESIDENTIAL SUBURBAN COMMERCIAL
PROVING GROUNDS
WHY MICHIGAN Greatest concentration of auto industry innovation o 70% of N. American auto R&D o 375 automotive R&D centers, 120 of which are foreign-owned o ~ 90,000 engineers; greatest concentration in the U.S. Integrated with a smart public highway network Co-located with commercial airport Adjacent to university mobility initiatives More mobility innovation assets than any other region Best variety of weather conditions
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Yankee Air Museum Michigan Aerospace Foundation The Arsenal of Democracy by A.J. Baime Images of Aviation Willow Run by Randy Hotton and Michael Davis
AVAILABLE TODAY w/ $25 DONATION
WILLOW RUN BIRTH, REBIRTH, AND RE-REBIRTH Vice President James M. Harless, PhD, CHMM Vice President / Principal