BNL Begins Construction of its Newest Research Facility, the National Synchrotron Light Source II

Site preparation work for construction of BNL's newest research facility, the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II), is set to begin next week, subject to approval of the contractor safety plan. The project, expected to be completed over the next six years, will include the construction of conventional facilities, installation of the accelerator and experimental equipment and the startup, testing and commissioning of all systems.

NSLS-II will be a state-of-the-art, medium-energy storage ring designed to deliver world leading brightness and flux. The facility will be able to produce x-rays up to 10,000 times brighter than those produced at the NSLS today. Design and engineering of the new light source began in 2007, and approval to begin construction is expected from DOE early next year.

"The site preparation work has been approved as an early procurement," said Steve Dierker, Associate Laboratory Director for Light Sources and NSLS-II Project Director. "It will reduce the potential for schedule delays when the main Ring Building construction begins next spring. The Request For Proposals for the Ring Building has been issued and the award of the main construction contract is slated for early next spring. A series of smaller contracts have already been awarded for the Site Preparation effort, and we are reviewing the contractor safety plans prior to starting the work."

Work on the first and smallest of the half-dozen packages that make up construction of the Ring Building will take approximately three months and will be centered around the former warehouse area south of Brookhaven Avenue to the vicinity of Building 485 at Groves and Fifth Streets. The Ring Building will house the new light source, beamlines and experimental stations and also includes numerous support buildings.

The site preparation scope of work includes:

• Rerouting utilities and installation of utility services and facilities needed to support construction trailers, construction power and the continued operation of adjacent facilities, including rerouting power and communication lines;
• De-energizing and isolating existing utilities as needed to enable demolition and removal of utilities at the site by the Ring Building contractor; and
• Clearing trees within the construction area and removing debris and existing concrete structures.
• The construction site will be a restricted area and only authorized personnel will be allowed on the site. The area will eventually be fenced, but until then the NSLS-II Project Office asks that employees and visitors stay a safe distance away, whether or not construction activities are taking place.

"We are very pleased to mark another milestone in this very exciting project for Brookhaven and for U.S. scientific research," said Dierker.

For more information on the planned work, contact Stephen Sawch, Assistant Director of Construction Management, Conventional Facilities Division, NSLS-II, Ext. 7593.