How we mitigate to reduce the construction noise level
Sometimes the most disruptive construction activities for residents living near a work site are not from heavy machinery digging up dirt or building concrete support walls, but from regular everyday activities, such as workers needing to communicate with each other. A great example is at the intersection of Allen Road and Eglinton Avenue West, where work has started to pour the concrete slab in the tunnels for the LRT tracks.
Our constructor, Crosslinx Transit Solutions (CTS) is committed to minimizing the impact construction will have on the surrounding community One way CTS is achieving this goal is by implementing a number of noise mitigation measures.
Nearby residents often hear noises related to on-street activity happening within our work sites that are unrelated to actual construction work such as digging and piling. For example, broadband back-up alarms are used on the trucks, which unlike traditional tonal back-up alarms can only be heard within the hazard area. White noise from the broadband backup alarms is shown to be less annoying than the “beeping” noise traditional backup alarms make. Sound barrier blankets have been installed on ventilation fans to reduce the noise. And, at the northeast corner of the intersection, a sound barrier enclosure was installed around the concrete delivery pipe and concrete truck pump-out area to reduce the noise coming from the concrete delivery trucks while they are on site.
"The concrete pour work and related activities and equipment had the potential to increase the sound level in the area up to 85 decibels which is as loud as a bus or truck” said Sam Kulendran, the project's noise consultant. “However, with these noise mitigation measures the sound level can be reduced to as low as 62 decibels, which is similar in loudness to a normal conversation."
Construction projects of this magnitude can be loud at times be a disturbance for our neighbours. As a result, we continue to work with the local community and other partners to find new ways to minimize the impact while building this new transit line for the city of Toronto.