Demolition of former Princeton hospital site to begin Friday, weather permitting

PRINCETONThe former University Medical Center on Witherspoon Street is slated to be demolished Friday, weather permitting, Princeton engineer Bob Kiser said.

Kiser and other town officials Monday morning met with representatives of AvalonBay, the developer with plans to turn the hospital site into 280 housing units, to discuss when demolition will take place. The latest estimate given was sometime this week, and Kiser said the town will meet with AvalonBay again Friday morning to confirm the razing.

John Mucha of Yannuzzi Wrecking and Recycling Corp. told residents at a neighborhood meeting earlier this month the demolition process is expected to last between three and six months.

During demolition work, water will be sprayed over the site to keep dust down so its not kicked up by trucks driving around, Mucha said previously, noting this will address about 90 percent of demolition dust.

Storm drains will also be covered with fabric to keep out unwanted particles, and there will be dust monitors at each corner of the property. A weather vane will also be in place to show which way the wind will be blowing, Mucha said.

AvalonBay hired Cerami & Associates to monitor noise levels on the site. Residents can expect sounds including the twisting of steel and the breaking of concrete slabs and the slamming of dump trucks throughout the process, as building materials are either crushed and reused on site or hauled away to a recycling facility.

In addition, the Princeton Health Department is working with the Mercer County Division of Public Health to provide additional noise monitoring. Any noise complaints should be directed to the Engineering Department.

Work is moving along on the property as contractors prepare for demolition. In Kiser's latest update to the public Monday about the project, he said Yannuzzi finished removing carpeting, wiring, lighting fixtures and other building materials that will be reused or disposed.

Asbestos removal from the main hospital building is complete, with the exception of the roof flashings, which Yannuzzi is in the process of removing, the update said.

Work has also begun to remove much of the upper concrete floor deck of the former hospital parking garage that will be replaced with a new concrete deck. It is anticipated to take between 10 and 11 months to complete all of the garage repairs, the update said.

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Demolition of former Princeton hospital site to begin Friday, weather permitting