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Residents say ODOT overnight work is damaging homes, council asks staff to investigate
Summary
Two West Linn residents described sleepless nights, flashing lights and foundation damage they attribute to a nearby ODOT project and urged city action; council directed the city manager and attorney to review the noise ordinance and pursue discussions with ODOT and the contractor.
Two residents testified at a West Linn council work session that overnight work on a nearby Oregon Department of Transportation project has caused severe noise, light intrusion and structural damage to homes.
"They're not following the noise ordinance," resident Brian Springberg told council, adding that properties within a roughly one‑mile radius had experienced impacts; he estimated "$20,000 worth of damage" in his area and said a neighbor had to lower a home's price by about "$150,000" because buyers would not live next to the site. Rachel Esterline, who said her 80‑year‑old mother lives about 100 yards from the project, said workers were using spotlights into backyard windows and that a contractor told her, "are you happy? We're done," while she and neighbors were kept awake.
Council members expressed sympathy and directed the city manager and city attorney to review the situation. "We would probably ask our city manager and city attorney just to look into the noise ordinance and the situation with the construction project after this," the council president said. City attorney (on the dais) noted the municipal code includes a longstanding exemption for "operations required by ODOT" in the city's noise section (section 5.487), which could explain why police have not enforced overnight noise complaints.
Councilors discussed next steps that include contacting ODOT and Kiewit (the project contractor), coordinating with state legislators and hosting public or private meetings with the project manager. Councilor Bonnington suggested seeking compensation for residents if ODOT will compensate some property owners on the commercial side, and the mayor said he would contact ODOT and Kiewit directly.
The council did not adopt an ordinance or take immediate enforcement action at the meeting; instead, staff were directed to research applicable code provisions and to pursue outreach to ODOT and other relevant offices.
