Demolition Starts at Old BAE Systems Site [VIDEO]

Demolition of the flood-damaged complex that housed BAE Systems in the Town of Union is underway.

Workers from Gorick Construction Company of Binghamton began tearing down the massive facility in Westover early Friday afternoon. The project to remove the structure started 1,625 days after it was evacuated when heavy rains fell on September 8, 2011.

The property is known as Air Force Plant 59. It was wrecked when 16 million gallons of water poured into the 600,000-square-foot building.

After the flood, BAE Systems moved its local operations to the Huron Campus in Endicott, a few miles west of the Johnson City site.

The federal government is covering the cost of the demolition, which has been estimated at $17.3 million. The environmental assessment for the removal project cost $1.2 million.

It's not known how long it will take to tear down the building and remove the debris.

Town of Union officials have been looking forward to having the 27-acre site cleared. They've been considering various plans for the property but no final decisions have been made.

WATCH the WNBF News Binghamton Now video as crews began the demolition on February 19, 2016.

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