At
the edge of Seattle's waterfront, the Seattle Department of Transportation is
making progress on the middle section of the new seawall. But the progress comes
at a cost.
Construction
on the seawall is constant through the week. City Project Manager Jessica Murphy
said work is about 50 percent complete.
"We're
right in the thick of it," she said.
The
city has provided white noise machines to help the people living nearby. It also
setup a 24-hour hotline for noise complaints.
Though
it's a nice gesture, the machine doesn't help much, Mendes said.
"The
only way to get this to stop is to not operate at night," he said.
Under
normal regulations, the city does not operate machinery after 10 p.m. However,
an exception was made for the seawall project.
SDOT
says it restricts the noisiest construction to the daytime hours.
Seattle's
waterfront businesses, some which have been closed, are on track to reopen July
1.
Bob
Donegan, president of Ivar's is looking forward to reopening Ivar's Acres of
Clams. He said the restaurant can expect one of the best summers it has had on
the waterfront since the recession began. Residents who live near the
construction on the Elliott Bay waterfront are having a difficult time coming to
terms with the constant noise.
Roberto
Mendes, who lives on the 16th floor of the Harbor Steps Apartments, has
struggled with the noise every week night for two months.
"At
night there's a vibration and drilling," Mendes said. "As far as I'm concerned,
the drilling is what keeps me up."
Back
in 2012, Dongean and other businesses sought to block the project, after finding
red flags in the environmental impact study. Those flags included noise above
100 decibels and heavy vibration.
Mendes
and his neighbors hope the noise issue is solved soon.
"I
want them to be done quickly, because I can't take this anymore and I want to
sleep," he said.
That
new structure is expected to last for about 75 years. While businesses are
preparing to reopen, however, residents will still have to live with noise for a
time. Work on the seawall will continue south of that, near Colman Dock during
the summer. The project is expected to be completed June of 2016.
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