Central 70 Construction Work Can Continue To Exceed Noise Limits At Night
DENVER (CBS4) - People living along the Central 70 project, in the Elyria-Swansea neighborhood, will need to prepare for at least another year of construction that will take place overnight and in the early hours of the morning. The Central 70 widening and revitalization project involves construction along Interstate 70 between Brighton Boulevard and Chambers Road.
After a lengthy five-hour hearing, Denver's Board of Public Health & Environment voted to extend a noise variance request by Kiewit Infrastructure Company for nighttime and weekend work. The company originally asked for a three year expansion, but only one year of work was approved.
Nearly 60 residents showed up to the hearing to share their experiences with the construction noise over the past year. While some say the noise hasn't been overbearing, others emotionally claimed that it's making them sleep deprived and stressed.
"There are 9 year olds that [are] afraid to sleep at night, it's really hard so please keep that in consideration with your noise variance thing," one resident exclaimed, while tearing up. "It's just not right no more."
Other residents say the problem isn't the noise, but rather the vibrations that the construction is causing to their homes.
"Unless you're living through it, I don't think you can understand truly what we are living in," explained neighbor Raquel Casillas, who attended the meeting.
The City of Denver's Department of Public Health and Environment said they will continue to monitor residents' concerns, and investigate every noise complaint they receive throughout the next year.
