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River Corridor cleanup drivers reach 10 million miles

02.01.2006

RICHLAND, Wash.—Truck drivers at the River Corridor Closure Project recently logged their 10 millionth mile safely transporting more than 6.3 million tons of contaminated materials for disposal at Hanford.

“This accomplishment represents a significant amount of cleanup work done at Hanford in a safe manner,” said Jeff James, Director of Waste Operations for Washington Closure Hanford. Washington Closure manages the River Corridor Closure Project for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Richland Operations Office.

Over 170 truckloads of contaminated soil and debris are transported each day from across the 586-square-mile Hanford Site to the Environmental Restoration Disposal Facility (ERDF) for permanent disposal. Each truck weighs about 40 tons when fully loaded. “I have been extremely impressed with the way our drivers and mechanics work as a team to ensure their own safety, as well as the safety of others who share the Hanford roadways,” James said.

The material transported comes from dozens of demolished buildings, hundreds of remediated waste sites that have been cleaned up and five nuclear reactors placed in interim safe storage. “The work the drivers are doing is directly tied to the continuing success of cleanup work at Hanford,” said James.

The achievement dates back to 1996 when the first load of contaminated waste from Hanford’s B/C Area was transported to the newly opened ERDF. Since that time, the drivers have had only one at-fault accident, which is several less than the national average.

To put the milestone in perspective, the mileage driven is equivalent to 21 trips to the moon and back.