24/7 ring road construction noise unfair, southwest Calgary couple says

A Calgary couple say construction of the southwest leg of the ring road is keeping them up at night.

Crews are now working around the clock as they try to get as much done on the six-lane city bypass route before winter sets in.

But Darrin Hopkins and his wife, Patty, say the constant, thundering activity outside their house in the middle of the night is robbing them of their sleep.

"It's trucks, moving trucks," she said.

"But it's non-stop, like it's a circuit. So, obviously they're going somewhere and coming back."

Earlier this month, the province granted KGL Constructors permission to work around the clockuntil just before Christmas to get work done before the ground freezes.

That work includes hauling dirt and grading the future ring road more than a kilometre away from the Hopkins's home in Discovery Ridge.

Adam Johnson, a spokesperson for Alberta Transportation, says such complaints are taken very seriously and the department is looking into the situation.

"If we are keeping residents up throughout the neighbourhoods that are near the construction, that's obviously unacceptable," he said.

"We only authorize these works in circumstances where we believe that impact can be limited."

Darrin says the company and the province should have consulted the affected communities beforehand.

"I shouldn't be penalized because they're worried about some financial penalty they're going to get, to get this thing done on time," he said.

"I don't want to have to be tossing and turning in bed because I can't sleep because of all the noise not overnight, that's just not fair."

Johnson says the province might decide to stop the overnight construction if the noise level can't be turned down.

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