Neighbors near the Central 70 expansion project plan to voice their concerns about noise from the construction at a meeting with the Denver Board of Public Health and Environment Thursday night.
Kiewit Infrastructure is requesting permission to work overnight for the next 52 months in hopes of completing the project on schedule.
In July, Kiewit informed residents in the Globeville and Elyria Swansea neighborhoods that it applied for a noise variance for “approximately 65 months of daytime/nighttime construction needed for the project to be completed by the end of December 2023.” In response, neighbors began circulating a petition, which forced Kiewit to postpone a meeting with the Board of Public Health and Environment.
Kiewit said noise levels during overnight construction would not exceed an average of 75 decibels, up to a maximum of 86 decibels. That's similar to the noise from a vacuum or blender.
In August, Kiewit submitted a revised proposal, pledging to construct additional sound barrier walls, and reducing the project timeline to 52 months of overnight construction. Kiewit has also offered to put residents up in hotels if the noise gets too loud.
Neighbors were unimpressed, promising to protest at Thursday night's meeting. They're demanding the installation of sound barriers, continuous noise monitoring throughout the construction project, strong enforcement of noise limits that would trigger stop-work orders immediately if violations occur, a limit of three consecutive nights of construction noise with four-day breaks, and the establishment of a community oversight board to monitor the project and resulting noise complaints.
The hearing on a request for a variance from Denver noise ordinances is at 5:30 p.m. Thursday in the Parr Widener Room of the City County Building at 1437 Bannock St.
