Hundreds gather in Upper Township as B.L. England cooling tower comes down

The cooling tower of the former B.L. England power plant collapses Thursday morning in the Beesleys Point section of Upper Township.

Hundreds lined the roads and beaches in Beesleys Point on Thursday to watch the implosion of the cooling tower of the former B.L. England power plant.

Ed Schiffler, of Upper Township, with his grandson, Andrew Newsome, 3, watched the implosion from a little less than a mile away Thursday.

A drone photo shows the B.L. England campus after the demolition of the cooling tower in September 2022.

Carol Jones wanted to watch the implosion of the cooling tower of the former B.L. England power plant in Upper Township on Thursday.

Some photographers went to great lengths to get a good view of the implosion in Beesleys Point Thursday.

Drone footage of the B.L. England cooling tower implosion

UPPER TOWNSHIP — Like the difference between seeing lightning and hearing thunder, those gathered along the ramp of a walkway on the Garden State Parkway could see the cooling tower warp and move before hearing the resounding thud of the explosion.

In a moment, the tower of the former B. L. England power plant was gone, briefly replaced by a towering plume of gray dust and smoke before that, too, drifted away in a steady breeze.

The tower had stood in the Beesleys Point section of the township since 1974, more than 200 feet tall but still dwarfed behind the power plant and smokestack.

Controlled Demolition Inc. performed the implosion for Beesley's Point Development Group LLC, the owner of the property.

The plant shut down in 2019, and the new owners plan to develop the site. The demolition work alone is expected to take years.

The township and the owners notified residents of the plans this week, and last night most received a call through the township emergency notification system about the planned implosion.

"I have some really, especially good news," Palombo said at the start of the meeting. "I’m h…

It was clear word got around, as hundreds of people lined the beach, the road and the rail of the ramp to the pedestrian bikeway.

Some drivers on the parkway also pulled over to watch, at least until they were told to keep moving by a State Police trooper who then parked on the shoulder to discourage other sightseers.

The pedestrian and bike lanes along the parkway bridge were closed, with a padlock on the gate, during the event.

Several participants said they planned to walk or bike about halfway across for a better view. Instead, they gathered along the ramp leading to the bridge lane.

Some came from neighboring communities to watch. After the implosion, one man joked that it was the worst traffic jam Beesleys Point had ever seen. Cars were lined up on Route 9, and a line of cars tried to leave the municipal parking area on Harbor Road.

The owners said no one would be permitted on the site during the implosion, which took place close to the announced time of 9:30 a.m. But onlookers lined a gravel section at the end of Shore Road, where it once led to a toll bridge over the Great Egg Harbor Bay.

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Boats filled the bay, and a couple of news helicopters from television stations circled the area. There was a holiday atmosphere in the gathering crowd leading up to the event.

"I’ll go anywhere for an implosion," joked Upper Township resident Carol Jones. Actually, she said, the last time she saw a structure imploded was the 14-story Sears clock tower on Roosevelt Boulevard in 1994.

After the implosion, she said she was happy she came to watch.

Ed Schiffler, of Upper Township, was there with his grandson, Andrew Newsome, 3. Schiffler said the tower has been in the background the entire time he has lived in the township, and when he would fish for perch from the fishing pier at the plant.

He wanted to see it go.

The plant, which included coal-fired and diesel turbines, closed in 2019, after which cleanu…

For a moment or two, the upper section of the structure remained intact, seeming like it may not fall, but soon it dropped entirely out of sight.

Plans are to continue demolition at the site, although members of Beesley's Point Development Group say there is no timeframe yet for the removal of the plant itself or the smokestack, one of the most visible landmarks in the area.

The company has not publicly disclosed plans for the site, although township officials say a large hotel and marina are among the ideas on the table. In 2021, the Township Committee named the site an area in need of redevelopment, approving special zoning for it.

"Well, time to get to work," said one of the people gathered on the bridge after the last wisps of smoke and dust cleared in the distance.

A longer look at the B.L. England cooling tower implosion

The cooling tower of the B.L. England power plant, as seen on Wednesday evening. By Thursday morning, it was gone.

The B.L. England power plant, silhouetted on a September 2022 evening.

Cars parked along the Garden State Parkway on Thursday morning, as drivers hoped to get a glimpse of an implosion, but police soon told them to move on.

Some photographers went to great lengths to get a good view of the implosion in Beesleys Point Thursday.

Hundreds lined the roads and beaches in Beesleys Point on Thursday to watch the implosion of the cooling tower of the former B.L. England power plant.

The cooling tower of the former B.L. England power plant collapses Thursday morning in the Beesleys Point section of Upper Township.

Hundreds lined the roads and beaches in Beesleys Point on Thursday to watch the implosion of the cooling tower of the former B.L. England power plant.

After the cooling tower of the former B.L. England power plant was down on Thursday, there was a line of cars making their way from the site, looking much like the traffic after the fireworks but in daylight.

Ed Schiffler, of Upper Township, with his grandson, Andrew Newsome, 3, watched the implosion from a little less than a mile away Thursday.

Carol Jones wanted to watch the implosion of the cooling tower of the former B.L. England power plant in Upper Township on Thursday.

Hundreds lined the roads and beaches in Beesleys Point on Thursday to watch the implosion of the cooling tower of the former B.L. England power plant.

Contact Bill Barlow:

609-272-7290

[email protected]

Twitter @jerseynews_bill

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The cooling tower at the former B.L. England power plant was razed Thursday morning in Upper Township.

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