'I haven't slept in a year': Broadway construction noise is spinning out of control, neighbor says

Construction noise along Broadway subway line makes residents uninhabitable The situation is on the rise, they say the project manager, the city of Vancouver and the state have not responded to their complaints.

Karl Prevost , said that around-the-clock noise, such as drilling, drilling and machinery reaching decibel levels of 80-100 dB, affects physical and mental health. As well as his business.

"They often work from 5 a.m. and don't finish until 2 a.m.," said his Mr. Prevost, who lives and works in the Lee Building at 175 Broadway. "For most of their working hours, I get constant decibel values ​​between 80 and 100."

According to WorkSafeBC, prolonged exposure to noise levels above 85 decibels , may cause hearing loss. Employers are responsible for monitoring and measuring sound levels above 82 decibels to prevent harmful exposure and to provide hearing protection for workers.

"They are not doing anything to help the residents," he said Prevost. "They (Broadway Subway Project) are to continuously monitor and report on the site. We requested those monitoring reports. They do not exist.

Prevost, who recorded noise levels with a decibel reader, said construction workers are being asked to work at safer decibel levels in a reasonable amount of time. "Follow city ordinances first. They keep saying the noise goes away after a certain hour."

He said higher decibel levels are routinely done and he has documentation to prove it.

City of Vancouver told his Postmedia: State contractors are ultimately responsible for determining how work is coordinated and for construction notices to residents and businesses.

A 2019 report prepared by the consultant for his BC Department of Transport and Infrastructure states that “increased noise levels” are expected during the construction phase of the subway project. However, it is the "standard value" set by the city that is "below the noise level".

Activities that are expected to generate noise include underground station construction, aboveground and underground railway sections, the report said.

"Construction noise modeling results show that construction noise levels will be below 85 dB, indicating compliance with the City of Vancouver's noise ordinance," the report said. said.

A post-media inquiry about the Broadway subway project was referred to the state's Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, which said it was working on a response but had missed the publication deadline.

Prevost said officials on the Broadway subway project had been putting him off for months, saying they were waiting for a response from the state. Postmedia confirmed his documentation, including hours of operation and a video showing his decibel levels.

Farther west in Maple and Broadway, a few months ago there was a discontinuity in sewer construction, causing the air to vibrate with a loud, constant thud.

"Horrible. I can't sleep, I can't work," said Armand Oritz, who lives in an apartment on the northeast corner of Broadway and Maple. "I don't think she has slept in a year."

Ortiz said. Progress. But it has affected me very badly. They don't care about the residents at all."

Lena Jefferson, 91, in her ninth-floor apartment on the northwest corner of Broadway Where she lives, Maple says the noise is constant and there is so much vibration that her building has suffered construction damage, including cracks in the walls, which was addressed by the condominium's insurance company. It has been.

"It's terrible. It shakes the whole building," said Jefferson.

Broadway Her maple Her area business did not want to mention She works through the night "screaming on machines".

The woman has been described as "poorly responsive" by Broadway Subway project managers, and she has not been successful in the state.

"They don't keep in touch with anyone who reaches out," she said.

In the meantime, she is looking for another place to live, at least temporarily.

Calling the situation "torture," her Prevost said when she told Broadway Subway project management that everyone else on the floor had left because the noise was so loud, she said: said like

The Broadway Subway Project is his 5.7 km extension of the Millennium Line from VCC Clark station to Broadway and Arbutus, with construction he expects to continue until 2024.