The ship will be towed to Brownsville later this month and then scrapped.

GALVESTON, Texas (AP) - Crews in Galveston have completed work on a World War II-era military cargo ship that previously served as a barge-mounted nuclear reactor.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced Sept. 14, that crews deactivated the former USS Sturgis' nuclear reactor and removed more than 1.5 million lbs. of radioactive waste, The Galveston County Daily News reported .

The Sturgis was converted into a floating nuclear power plant in the 1960s. The U.S. Department of Defense decided in 2012 to dismantle the ship.

The Sturgis had been stored in Virginia for decades before moving to Texas, where it's been moored at the Port of Galveston since 2015.

"Environmental monitoring has been continuous since prior to the arrival of the Sturgis in Galveston and no evidence of radioactive material, lead or increased radiation exposure from the Sturgis has been documented outside of the reactor containment area at any point during the project," said Brenda Barber with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The ship will be towed to Brownsville later this month and then scrapped.

The project was originally expected to take 18 months to complete, but was delayed when larger cranes were needed to be brought in to lift material from the vessel. The original contract estimated the project would cost about $35 million, but the delays and additional equipment increased the cost to $51 million.

The Sturgis project had a $20 million positive economic impact in Galveston, Barber said.

Today's top stories

SEPTA Builds Major Transportation Center

National Equipment League — Heavy Equipment Operation as a Professional Sport — Launches Season Two

Washington Bridge in Providence, R.I., Undergoes Demolition

Construction Industry Optimistically Preparing for New Year Ahead

Capital Express Central Project Ramps Up in Texas

Nevada DOT Awards $54M Contract for U.S. 50 Renovation in Ely

Construction Set for $37M Wildlife Crossing in Wyoming

PCL Construction's Special Projects Division Sets 2024 Record With Nearly 270 New Projects