Turcot Interchange work has sleepless St-Henri residents seeing red

Some residents of Montreal's St-Henri neighbourhood say the round-the-clock construction work on the TurcotInterchange could push them to move if it continues unabated.

The work, whichramped up this monthwith demolition work on theSt-Jacques overpass, isn'tscheduled to be completed until2020.

Alisa Poulinlives on PlaceDe Richelieuwhich backs on to Highway720. She told CBC's Daybreakthe24-hour construction workmeans sleepless nights thanks to the incessant beeping of heavy trucks backing up and the clanging of heavy machinery.

Yves Lavoie, who lives on St-Jacques Street,saidthe main issue for him isheavy trucks rolling down neighbourhood streets at all hours, often on streets they're not supposed to be taking.

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Mitigation measures questioned

Both Poulin and Lavoie have contacted Quebec's transport ministry with their concerns and complaints but neither has been satisfied with theresponses they've received.

"They claimed they would do a lot of mitigation to help the residents deal with this as much as possible, butI didn'texpect to see construction 24 hours a day,"Poulinsaid.

"I think that flies in the face of any claim they're making to mitigate the effect on residents of St-Henri and also Westmount, N.D.G., and Cte-St-Paul who are also affected by this."

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Lavoiesaid he's been in touch with Dominique Anglade, the Liberal MNA who represents St-Henri, and she's expressedconcern about what's happening.

In a statement to CBC Montreal, her spokesperson said that Anglade hascontacted the transport ministryto make sure surveillance was enhanced.

Lavoie also heard from the transport ministryover the weekend. He was told the ministry isworking with Montreal policeto ensuretruck drivers respect the rules.

Transport ministry concerned

Transport ministryspokeswoman Nomba Danielle said the 24-hour work day is necessary to ensure the work gets done as quickly as possible.

"We are really concerned about the inconvenience caused by the work and we are really willing to do whatever we can to reduce them so residents do not have to suffer from it too much," she said.

"We are really open to listening to their complaints and their comments."

Contractors have to comply with the noise levelsboth day and nightand the the transport ministryhas installed seven stations to monitor noise levels,Nombasaid.

Noise barriers have also been installed and, if necessary,contractors are being asked to take other mitigating measures, likemovingequipment away from houses, she said.

Nomba added that three stations are also in placefor monitoring dust and air quality in the area.

Residents can also go on the Turcot website and see what the levels are at any hour, she said.

As fortrucks operating on streets where they aren't allowed, Nomba said it is the transport ministry'sresponsibility to ensure they're only operating on designated streets.

"We are really aware of truck traffic in the area," she said."When it's needed, we have police control and monitoring."

Patience wearing thin

The situation has both Poulin and Lavoiewondering how much more they can take beforethey decide to move.

"If they're going to run in 24-hours a day, it's going to be very difficult to stay and live a healthy life in the neighbourhood," Poulin said.