NDG residents call for lower noise levels near Turcot construction site

People living in the neighbourhood of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce are fed up with nearby noisy construction at the Turcot site, and they say the Transport Ministry isn't doing enough to help.

Transports Québec installed special microphone stations to monitor excess noise. The numbers show that in the last year, noise exceeded acceptable limits more than 1,400 times.

"During the night, the house starts to shake and we get a lot of noise that wakes us up.… Is it an earthquake or what?" said Lucien Monette, who has been living on Addington Street for eight years.

The only thing separating the street from the largest construction project in the province is a plywood barrier.

It's not enough to keep the noise out, agrees neighbour Adriana Coderre.

"It actually wakes you up. If you're a light sleeper, it will wake you up."

• Turcot construction noise keeping Saint-Henri residents up at night
• Noise levels from Turcot construction concern Montreal public health officials

Companies that don't respect noise ceilings set by the ministry can face fines, but despite the hundreds of incidents recorded near the Turcot last year, only two fines were issued.

Transport Ministry spokesperson Sarah Bensadoun said most incidents of excessive noise are minor, and there's only so much they can do.

"We want to make sure the type of work that we're doing will not inconvenience residents but, then again, we have to rebuild four different interchanges and it's in the middle of the island."

• New Turcot will be built with recycled materials from old one
• VIDEO: Take a tour of the Turcot Interchange worksite

Work will continue the area in NDG at last until the end of the year.