Demolition crews will begin knocking down General Motors Corp.'s vacant Lansing Car Assembly complex today.

Crews have worked to salvage equipment from the compound and prepare for the teardown, spokeswoman Kim Carpenter said.

"We're starting at the backs of the pieces of property and working our way out, which will be more visually appealing and will help address noise and dust issues," she said. "So, those external facades will be the last portion that comes down."

Crews also will keep the structures wet as they are razed, which should reduce dust. There should not be any environmental concerns from the work, Carpenter said.

Demolition at the 74-acre site should take until mid-2007, she said.

The plant, which once employed 3,500 people making such cars as the Chevrolet Classic and the Pontiac Grand Am, closed in May 2005.