PORTSMOUTH – That loud boom you might hear early Sunday in the West Norfolk section of Portsmouth is a building being razed.

Old Dominion Demolition has been preparing the old BASF building for implosion.

Doing the actual demolition will be Jim Redyke, an expert who’s been featured on the Discovery Channel.

Redyke of the Dykon Explosive Demolition Corporation has blown things up for decades. He says the former baby diaper manufacturing plant will come down in such a way that one section will collapse on top of the other.

Video: BASF plant to be imploded Sunday

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"What's happening is that progression happens and it goes ga-boom, half second later it lights number one, number two and number three.  Ga-boom, ga-boom, ga-boom, ga-coom, ga-boom, ga-boom," he explained during preparation on Friday.

There had been concerns that the site could create an unhealthy plume as it crashes to the ground.

"The plant has been cleaned to EPA standards.  Right now, all the lines have been cut all the tanks have been extricated from the plant.  We actually have a clean site to make way for new industry," stated site manager Tim Parker.

Traffic in the Western Freeway Bridge area -- both vehicle and boat traffic -- will be stopped for five few minutes between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. should the implosion start on time.

Prior to, during, and after the implosion, police personnel will be on site and will secure the perimeter of the facility. 

To inform the residents of the adjacent neighborhoods of the Sunday morning implosion, the Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Management will place Reverse 911 phone calls to the residents that will begin at 7 p.m. this evening.

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