Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Construction Noise topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board extends night-noise authorization for Sunset Tunnel work after residents and SFMTA reach mitigation agreement
Summary
After resident complaints about nighttime construction noise at the Sunset Tunnel project, SFMTA, the contractor and neighbors negotiated a mitigation plan including broadband lower-frequency backup beepers, mufflers, ballast handling limits and continuous monitoring; the board reissued and extended the permit to July 31, 2015, with those conditions (vote 4–0).
The Board of Appeals reissued and extended a night-noise authorization for the Sunset Tunnel Trackway Improvement Project after SFMTA, contractor Provincetown/Provin (Provin Management) and neighborhood representatives reached a conditional agreement on noise mitigation.
Francis Offerman, a professional mechanical engineer and certified industrial hygienist representing roughly 45 impacted residents, detailed repeated weekend noise that he said included loud, high-frequency reverse-backup beepers and ballast handling that woke residents and interfered with sleep. "We're literally...20 feet away in our bedrooms trying to sleep and what happens with the beepers is...there's an amplification just by the nature of the setup," Offerman said, urging replacement of noisy alarms.
SFMTA and the contractor said the weekend shutdowns are necessary to complete seismic and track replacement work during limited non-service windows. After testing alternative alarms and other engineering controls, parties proposed a unilateral contract modification that requires: use of lower-frequency broadband backup alarms (specific product identified in the agreement), installation of mufflers and acoustic shields, restrictions on ballast delivery timing near residences, continuous noise monitoring at property lines, substitution of flaggers/flashers if alarms are unacceptable and other measures. SFMTA will extend the permit to July 31, 2015 and incorporate the negotiated mitigation measures into the contractor’s contract.
The Board voted 4–0 to uphold and extend the permit with the agreed conditions; the parties expected to finalize a signed document memorializing the specifics and provide it to the board.
