Mitigation of Community Noise Impacts from Nighttime Construction

Construction activities have the potential to generate a significant amount of noise that can impact the surrounding community when construction occurs near where people live or work. In the past, construction noise was often considered to be a temporary nuisance that was unavoidable and that communities would have to live with in the interest of progress. However, with the increased concern about environmental issues and the proliferation of long-term "mega-projects" in recent years, the effects of construction noise can no longer be ignored. This is particularly true for construction that takes place during the more sensitive nighttime hours when background noise levels are lower and people are trying to relax at home; noise that people may tolerate during the day will often be considered unacceptable at night. Unfortunately, nighttime construction is becoming ever more prevalent, particularly for transportation projects where daytime disruption of highways, airports and railways must be avoided. In an effort to help project owners, engineers and contractors deal with this problem more effectively, this paper provides a review of practical approaches for mitigating community noise impacts from nighttime construction and presents illustrative examples from specific projects. Various mitigation methods are discussed, including noise control at the source (e.g. equipment noise limits, substitutions and operational restrictions), transmission path controls (e.g. equipment relocation and sound barriers) and noise control at the receiver (e.g. building sound insulation and temporary resident relocation). However, it is most important that potential construction noise problems be identified in the planning and design phases of the project so that appropriate mitigation measures can be specified proactively, prior to the start of construction. Good community relations and communication are also essential in mitigating nighttime noise problems, along with effective monitoring and complaint response mechanisms during construction.