Thursday June 13, 2024 | SOOKE, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends | TRAFFIC NEWS
Noise and dust are in the air for residents of Sooke in the Charters Road area.
A rock crusher will be operational at the Charters Road construction site starting today June 13, through to Friday July 28.
The rock crushing will produce loud, continuous noise, as advised by the District of Sooke last night in a news release.
rock crushing operations can generate potential noise levels up to 86.5 decibels at 50 feet.
Noise levels:
According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association:
- Sounds at 70 dBA or lower are generally considered safe. Sounds at 85 dBA can lead to hearing loss if listened to for more than 8 hours at a time.
- Sounds over 85 dBa can damage your hearing faster. The safe listening time is cut in half for every 3-dB rise in noise levels over 85 dBA.
- If a sound goes up to 88 dBA, it is safe to listen for 4 hours. If it goes up to 91 dBA, the safe listening time is down to 2 hours. Steady noise from a jackhammer (at 130 dBA) is considered dangerous.
Regarding gravel or stone crushing, the Ontario Ministry of Labour states that sounds at or below 70 decibels (dBA) are generally considered safe. Any sound at or above 85 dBA is more likely to damage a person’s hearing over time.
Hours of operation:
Hours of operation will be approximately 7 at to 7 pm Monday to Thursday, and 7 am to 4 pm on Fridays. Activity will break for lunch during 11:30 am to 12:30 pm.
No crushing will occur on June 24 or 25 and modified hours will be in place on June 26, with crushing occurring from 7 am to 11 am. Hours will extend on Friday, June 28 until 7 pm.
Water will be used to manage dust and debris.
District of Sooke CAO Raechel Gray says this is part of keeping the Charter Road construction project timeline on track.
The rock crusher will be on private property adjacent to the project site. This measure aims to reduce the time transporting materials to the construction site and, as a result, potentially construction timelines, the District said in their news release.
School & sports:
Inevitably, this will overlap with school and fastball season, the District admits.
“However, the District has proactively contacted these area stakeholders to balance the impacts as best as possible, acknowledging the greater benefit for the community,” says Gray.
“We recognize the inconvenience this project is causing on many levels,” says Gray.
“Unforeseen circumstances are a reality in construction. Nonetheless, we remain dedicated to advancing the Transportation Master Plan in collaboration with various stakeholders, ultimately enhancing travel to and within Sooke.”
Contractor:
This operation is made possible through the cooperation between the private property owner and Hazelwood Construction.
===== RELATED:
Sooke Traffic: portion of Charters Rd closed May to Oct 2024 (May 27, 2024)
Sooke Traffic 2024: major improvements on Charters Rd (January 5, 2024)