Turcot Interchange work has sleepless St-Henri residents seeing red
Noise, dust and truck traffic has some wondering how long they can take it
Some residents of Montreal's St-Henri neighbourhood say the round-the-clock construction work on the Turcot Interchange could push them to move if it continues unabated.
The work, which ramped up this month with demolition work on the St-Jacques overpass, isn't scheduled to be completed until 2020.
Alisa Poulin lives on Place De Richelieu which backs on to Highway 720. She told CBC's Daybreak the 24-hour construction work means sleepless nights thanks to the incessant beeping of heavy trucks backing up and the clanging of heavy machinery.
Yves Lavoie, who lives on St-Jacques Street, said the main issue for him is heavy trucks rolling down neighbourhood streets at all hours, often on streets they're not supposed to be taking.
Mitigation measures questioned
Both Poulin and Lavoie have contacted Quebec's transport ministry with their concerns and complaints but neither has been satisfied with the responses they've received.
"They claimed they would do a lot of mitigation to help the residents deal with this as much as possible, but I didn't expect to see construction 24 hours a day," Poulin said.
"I think that flies in the face of any claim they're making to mitigate the effect on residents of St-Henri and also Westmount, N.D.G., and Côte-St-Paul who are also affected by this."
Lavoie said he's been in touch with Dominique Anglade, the Liberal MNA who represents St-Henri, and she's expressed concern about what's happening.
In a statement to CBC Montreal, her spokesperson said that Anglade has contacted the transport ministry to make sure surveillance was enhanced.
Lavoie also heard from the transport ministry over the weekend. He was told the ministry is working with Montreal police to ensure truck drivers respect the rules.
Transport ministry concerned
Transport ministry spokeswoman Nomba Danielle said the 24-hour work day is necessary to ensure the work gets done as quickly as possible.
"We are really concerned about the inconvenience caused by the work and we are really willing to do whatever we can to reduce them so residents do not have to suffer from it too much," she said.
"We are really open to listening to their complaints and their comments."
Contractors have to comply with the noise levels both day and night and the the transport ministry has installed seven stations to monitor noise levels, Nomba said.
Noise barriers have also been installed and, if necessary, contractors are being asked to take other mitigating measures, like moving equipment away from houses, she said.
Nomba added that three stations are also in place for monitoring dust and air quality in the area.
Residents can also go on the Turcot website and see what the levels are at any hour, she said.
As for trucks operating on streets where they aren't allowed, Nomba said it is the transport ministry's responsibility to ensure they're only operating on designated streets.
"We are really aware of truck traffic in the area," she said. "When it's needed, we have police control and monitoring."
Patience wearing thin
The situation has both Poulin and Lavoie wondering how much more they can take before they decide to move.
"If they're going to run in 24-hours a day, it's going to be very difficult to stay and live a healthy life in the neighbourhood," Poulin said.