Downtown Edmonton tenant ready to move after months of overnight LRT work

Summer construction may be a reality in Edmontonbut some people living downtown are fed up after several months of overnight work on the future Valley Line LRT, preventing them from sleeping properly.

Scott Matheson, a tenant in the City Market apartments at 97th Street and 102nd Avenue, said crews start at around 6:30 p.m. and work throughout the night.

"They're digging, hydrovacing and jackhammering and they have large crews," he told CBC News Friday. "So noone in the building is sleeping particularly well."

The underground work started in April and at the time, the company in charge of the LRT, TransEd, told residents and media that the overnight work would last about ten nights.

• Overnight Valley Line LRT construction leaves residents sleepless

"It's very frustrating," Matheson said. "Not only because of the work but because of the communication that we've been getting from TransEd, which has said things like ten more days and it's been three months."

He said he generally keeps the windows closed at night.

"I wear a pair of in-ear earplugs and on top of those, over-ear earphones," he said. "The kind that people who work on airport runways wear, which is not very comfortable."

In May,Mathesonsent a letter to the city andTransEd, asking if work could be done during the day.

DeanHueman, manager ofTransEd'sstakeholder relations, said they plan to keep97thStreet open during the day.

"It's a very busy street, moving a lot of traffic. If we close this street during the daytime and can't handle the traffic here, where's it going to go?"

Huemansaid the six-lane street needs to stay open so drivers have access toparkadesand parking lots.

TransEd, he said, has heard complaints from tenants and has tried to cut back on the noise late at night.

"We're doing everything we can," he said. "We've taken off back-up beepers as much as possible," he said, adding that crews instead use flashing lights where they can.

Rather than starting work at 11 p.m. as they did in April,Huemansaid crews start at 6:30 p.m. and try to finish the noisiest work before 10 p.m.

"This has to get built," he said. "This is a major project for Edmonton it's going to move thousands and thousands of people in and out."

• Around-the-clock LRT construction ticking off downtown residents
• Major section of 102nd Avenue closed for next 3 years

A city spokesperson for the Valley Line LRT, Quinn Nicholson, said it's up to TransEd when they work but they need relevant permits from the Community Standards branch.

Hueman explained thatunderground excavation work isthe noisiest and that component isexpected to be finished in a month.

Matheson has resigned himself to move.

"I've been looking at other apartments recently to try to move somewhere where sleep would be possible."

Matheson is in favour of the LRT and believes many understand how essential the project is to the city.

"But if itwas essential, maybe they should be doing it all the time until it gets done rather than only at night and next to a residential building,"

The Valley Line Southeastfrom Mill Woodsto the 102nd Street downtown is expected to open by the end of 2020.

@natashariebe