JDC Demolition razing and abating 56-acre Salem Harbor Station

JDC Demolition and NewRoads Environmental Services are underway on demolition and abatement of the Salem Harbor Station. Covering 56 acres, this will be one of the largest plant demolition, asbestos abatement and remediation projects started in New England since the demolition of the Edgar Power Plant in Weymouth, Mass. in 2001. Upon mobilization, JDC Demolition erected 2,500' of 12' high sound attenuation fence to mitigate demolition impact on neighboring residential developments before moving into full abatement of the multi-building site. Working in tandem, NewRoads Envionmental Services performs abatement to each facility before JDC Demo performs the tear down. Currently, the first phase of abatement and demolition is underway on the existing tank farm of 11 tanks; conveyors; Stack 5 (the 430' tall); a precipitator; miscellaneous site buildings; settling ponds; truck loading buildings; and pipe racks. The team will wrap this phase of work by Thanksgiving. Beginning in December, the final phase of work will include abatement and demolition of the power house, including four boilers and four turbines; Stack 3 (300' tall); Stack 4 (503' tall) and the 200' tall main structure. This is slated for completion at the end of 2015. Recycling will be a key component of the project with a goal of diverting 95% of construction and demolition waste from landfills. Barges will remove the processed construction and demolition waste from the site via Salem Harbor. "We are very excited to be a part of one of the largest demolition and remediation projects in New England. The project size, the unique nature of the work, and its complexities all make this a rewarding opportunity for our team as well as for our client, Footprint Power," said Chris Berardi, president of JDC Demolition, Inc. The coal-burning power station, in operation since 1951, is being cleared to make way for a smaller, more efficient, natural gas power plant in addition to other new, yet to be determined developments on the waterfront property.