The Superconducting Super Collider Is For Sale. And Who Doesn't Need 14 Miles of Tunnels?

The Superconducting Super Collider Is For Sale. And Who Doesn't Need 14 Miles of Tunnels?

By Robert Wilonsky Tue., Jun. 14 2011 at 8:44 AM

Steve Brown tips us to the story, but not the site: Newmark Knight Frank's sprawling online ad for the Superconducting Super Collider down in Ellis County, just outside Waxahachie, where the feds sunk $800 million into a project that's been kaput since '93. Can't be going for more than $6.5 mil: Brown says that's what the current owners paid for the property, but at the top of the Realtor's site it says there's a "motivated seller" for the 135-acre site who's offering it as "a significant discount." Can't imagine.

So, let's see. What are some of the "unique features"?

14 TOTAL MILES OF TUNNELS WITH MILES OF CONCRETE LINED TUNNELS 270 FEET below surface. These tunnels have been plugged due to lack of maintenance during the years between 1993 and 2006.

135 ACRE SITE for future build-out potential.

POINTS OF ACCESS to the tunnels which are all linked on the 135 acre site.

SELF CONTAINED SECURABLE SITE containing its own water & sewer system, self contained electrical generating plant, fire hydrants throughout, man-made surface cooling pond, concrete drives and parking, pole lighting, and underground storm drains.

NOTABLES INCLUDE; alarm system, sprinkler system, fire pumps, electric door locks, walk in cooler, computer rooms, communication rooms, observation rooms, elevators, air compressors, loading docks, high pressure sodium lighting, over head doors, 3 - 25 ton bridge cranes, and basements.

I once suggested skate park. But then what? Perhaps downtown could relocate its underground food court a few miles to the south. Or, clearly: future headquarters of SPecial Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion.

We Recommend

Chris C.

Magnablend (Chemical mixing plant that exploded and burned in October in Waxahachie) has a contract to buy the SSC and is looking at closing the deal on January 15th. Nearby residents are furious and trying to block this development.

Doug

Wow...a PERFECT location for those evil metal recyclers...right? Talk about out-of-site, out-of-mind!! Think of how much metal they could stuff in those tunnels.

Brenda Marks

Just waiting for Harold Simmons to make an offer and have Governor Goodhair add to the special session agenda as an emergency a bill authorizing his company to use it as a waste storage facility.

diaglo

They're actually filming a commercial for Hasbro's Star Wars lightsabers out there today. True story.

Coleman

I kinda hope Vault-Tec Industries buys it up and does G.E.C.K. research there. maybe it'll get out of hand and turn Waxahachie into less of a shithole.

Huh

Some dude was going to install a giant data center there with the cooling ponds and and on-site water treatment facility. I don't think it is well suited for this because of the hot climate and the lack of a plentiful water supply in contrast to other location such as Oregon or Eastern Washington state.

MushMouth1

Buyer beware - Mole People. Take a lot of flashlights.

dallasmay

That's the real kicker. Never buy a foreclosure with occupants. The red tape and legal hassle to evict them is ridiculous.

Scruffygeist

Obviously the only way to get it developed is to attach a toll element to it.

Montemalone

I thought it was infested with fire ants?

Renegade

There's a good story for The Onion: "Government confesses: Super Conducting Super Collider abandoned due to over-run by race of giant, gamma ray-modified fire ants, not budget woes."

Storm_71

If we could now only get some fake white water rapids down there too that would be kick ass!!

scottindallas

You guys are missing it. We are in the End Times, Nuclear War, Famine, Death, Genocide, Terrorism, Wars. Based on the Sun City model, this would make a great bomb shelter community. I believe this is in Joe Barton's district, and who could be a better advocate! Praise God and pass the ammo!

NewsDog

How about they give the land back to the people who got 'emminent domained' off of it when they started building this mess?

Renegade

Did it happen that way? I remember them paying a good price to my uncle for drilling a tunnel under his farm.

NewsDog

I remember hearing stories good and bad. Did they buy your uncle out or pay him an easement. I remember reading about a couple families that didn't want to sell (at any price) but the Govt used the ole Emm Dom.

Scott

How about we form a private non-profit and build the dam thing. Probably could do it for $8billion. Need 32 donors to each put up $250,000,000.

Lakewoodhobo

Wait, are we talking about Ellis County or downtown Dallas?

Jay Hawk

We have a new home for the businesses in the downtown Dallas tunnels!

Gary

Remember your Hot Wheels Supercharger station that would propel the cars around the track? Convert this accordingly to propel people to Austin, Houston, San Antonio. Not sure how they'd get back, but I think Southwest has one way fares. Hmm. it sounded good when I started typing.

Big Bud Goode

It would be a perfect place to grow some really dynamic bubonic chronic. We could put a nuclear power plant there to run all the halogen lights.

Chris Danger

I heard U.N.C.L.E was looking for a new southwest HQ to take on the forces of evil, this fits the bill

In all seriousness, this would be an excellent site for some sort of shared data center/cloud farm for the person who could afford to buy the property..