Meyer Library demolition begins Feb. 4; concrete to be crushed on site

When Meyer is gone, Stanford will create a landscaped open space on the site, with walkways, benches and gentle slopes surrounded by trees.

By Kathleen J. Sullivan
crew, equipment preparing for demolition outside Meyer Library

Demolition crews will begin razing Meyer Library on Feb. 4. (Image credit: L.A. Cicero)

Demolition crews will begin razing Meyer Library on Wednesday, Feb. 4, a project expected to take approximately 40 working days and to be completed by mid-April.

On Monday, Feb. 9, using a 30-foot crusher parked at the site, crews will begin breaking up concrete chunks from the building into aggregate for recycling. The crushing is expected to take place behind construction fencing at the south end of the site near Canfield Court.

The crushed concrete will remain on the site, and will be used as stabilized backfill when Stanford restores the site and creates landscaped open space, with walkways, benches and gentle slopes surrounded by trees. The open space project is expected to be completed in late December of this year.

“By making the decision to crush the concrete and keep the material for reuse on the site, Stanford was able to reduce the number of trucks to 300 from 2,400,” said Kharon Hathaway, a project manager in Stanford’s Department of Project Management.

Trucks will remove debris from the site. Truck activity will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays.

Construction crews will take steps to mitigate the dust created by the demolition, including wetting down and covering loads of debris before trucks leave the site.

To get to the site, trucks will travel on Campus Drive East and proceed down Escondido Road to Escondido Mall. They will depart the demolition site through the traffic arm gate between Sweet Hall and the Center for Educational Research at Stanford (CERAS), proceed down Galvez Mall and Bowdoin Lane to Campus Drive East, or alternatively proceed down Arguello Way to Campus Drive East.

“Once trucks reach the pedestrian zone, they will be escorted into and out of the site by traffic control flaggers walking with the trucks for added safety,” Hathaway said.

The site fencing will be adjusted as necessary to provide additional safety buffers, and detours and traffic control will be in place as required, she said.

All surrounding buildings will remain open during demolition, including Coupa Café, a popular eatery housed in an outdoor kiosk in front of Green Library.

Members of the campus community are encouraged to follow these safety tips:

  • Be safe – look up from your cell phone near construction sites.
  • Pay attention to your surroundings as you walk, run, bike or drive.
  • Expect detours and follow the directions of the flaggers.
  • If you’re riding a bike, follow the rules of the road – stop at signs.
  • Allow a little more time than usual to travel on campus.

Community updates will be sent out weekly through the department’s “Heads Up” weekly construction newsletter, which is delivered via email to the Stanford community and also is available on the Heads Up website.