Excerpt:

Heavy equipment was already demolishing buildings and pavement as the ceremonial groundbreaking took place at Alameda Point on May 23. Workers had already leveled many of the structures. They had also separated remains into distinct piles of concrete, asphalt, structural steel, sheet metal and rebar for recycling.

“Everything that can be recycled is being recycled,” said Joe Ernst, president of srmErnst, one of the Alameda Point Partners group busy at Site A, the first step in transforming Alameda Point into a mixed-use neighborhood. “In our bidding we pushed for everything to be separated and recycled, with the value of recycled material offsetting demolition cost. All ground asphalt and concrete will remain onsite and be used under streets and on exterior concrete structures and surfaces.”

Workers have already removed the pavement on Seaplane Lagoon where Phase 1 of the waterfront park will be built. “The next major operation in this area will be ground improvement in a 25-foot-wide band at the back side of the bulkhead,” said Ernst.