The fences surround the 43-year-old Engineering Classroom Building at Utah State University, which is scheduled to be demolished starting Feb. 1 to make room for a new four-story engineering building, said Maurice Thomas, associate dean of the College of Engineering. Demolition of the current building will likely take about one month, and construction of the new building, which is scheduled to begin in April, is expected to take 18 months to two years, he said. Meanwhile, the fences will remain in their current position until after construction is complete.

"We just ask that people understand that this is part of a project that's going to be improving campus," Thomas said.

The walkway between the new engineering building and Merrill Hall is currently blocked off because that space will be used as the primary entrance for demolition and construction vehicles to access the site, Thomas said. Merrill Hall residents will likely be disturbed by the vehicles, but that route is the only viable option for getting large machinery and vehicles to the site, he said. Project officials have petitioned the Utah Department of Transportation for permission to access the site from State Highway 89 by going between Merrill Hall and Reeder Hall but do not expect permission to be granted.

The new building will be called the David G. Sant Engineering Innovation Building after a USU alumnus who made a large donation toward its construction. It will have four floors, and its exterior will look similar to the existing Engineering Building east of it, Thomas said. It will not have any classrooms but instead be used primarily for engineering research projects. Its construction will be funded mainly by contributions but also by state funds that were attained several years ago, he said.

The Engineering Classroom Building, which was built in 1964, is being replaced because it is "high on the list of state buildings that are vulnerable to earthquake," Thomas said. The auditorium would be especially vulnerable if an earthquake were to strike, and anyone inside would be in extreme danger, he said.

Crews recently finished removing potentially hazardous materials from the building, such as asbestos and mercury, and the site was turned over Friday to the company that will be demolishing the building and removing its pieces, Thomas said. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the building was to have been used in training exercises by local law enforcement and fire agencies, he said.

"They want to use it because they can knock doors down, shoot holes in things, and no one cares," he said.

The location of fences surrounding the building has made it necessary for people to walk through the snow and on the grass in some areas, but concrete walkways will be laid in the new high-traffic areas as soon as the weather allows for it, Thomas said.

In addition to the areas already fenced off, the area between the Engineering Classroom Building and the nearby Engineering Laboratory Building will be temporarily closed at some point during demolition so on the 2nd floor enclosed walkway between the two buildings can be taken down.