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Home My WebLink AboutINS-14-060 - Noise Exemption - K-W Expressway At Victoria St Staff Rep►�►r I r Infrastruc�ture5ervrresDepartment wvwuukitchenerra REPORT TO: Community & Infrastructure Services Committee DATE OF MEETING: June 26, 2014 SUBMITTED BY: Justin Readman, Director, Transportation Services PREPARED BY: Stephanie Brasseur, Traffic Project Coordinator (519-741-2200 x7373) WARD(S) INVOLVED: Ward 10 DATE OF REPORT: June 5, 2014 REPORT NO.: INS-14-060 SUBJECT: NOISE EXEMPTION — K-W EXPRESSWAY AT VICTORIA STREET (MTO) RECOMMENDATION: That the Ministry of Transportation, Ontario (MTO) and its contractor(s) be exempt from the provisions of Chapter 450 Noise of the City of Kitchener Municipal Code Article 6 Construction Work during the Geotechnical Investigation For Bridge Replacement and Road Rehabilitation project on the K-W Expressway at Victoria Street in the City of Kitchener. The request for the noise by-law exemption is between the hours of 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. for the period July 2, 2014 to August 22, 2014. BACKGROUND: The MTO has engaged the MMM Group and Thurber Engineering Ltd to administer a geotechnical investigation for bridge replacement and road rehabilitation project for the K-W Expressway at Victoria Street. This project will determine structural and roadway requirements for an impending reconstruction of the Victoria Street bridge structure for further K-W Expressway widening and improvements. Due to the significant traffic volumes experienced during daytime periods, it has been requested to complete this work during evening and overnight hours. REPORT: The work to be completed includes drilling on Victoria Street between Edna Street and Bruce Street as well as within the Hwy 85 right-of-way near the existing bridge. Boreholes will be drilled to collect soil samples and perform testing if required. The majority of boreholes to be drilled are foundation holes for bridge replacement and the remainder on Victoria Street closer to Edna Street and Bruce Street are pavement holes which will require less work, and produce less noise as operations are relatively quick. 3 - 1 Noise created by the borehole drilling will be mostly diesel engines powering the trucks and drill rig. The instrument used to collect soil samples creates the loudest noise when in use. The soil sampling requires the use of this equipment and will be done in twenty to thirty minute intervals throughout the duration of the drilling. The drill boreholes located closest to Edna Street and Bruce Street will be done at the start of the work shifts and they plan work near the bridge (furthest away from any houses) after 11:00 p.m. This schedule will reduce noise exposure to residential areas during late night hours and provide the least overall noise disturbance. ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN: This initiative falls under the Community Priority of Quality of Life. "Work with partners, including all orders of government, to create a culture of safety in our community." The implementation of improved traffic flow and safety will provide positive direction for motorists. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: None. COMMUNICATIONS: All affected residents and property owners will be advised of this off-hours construction activity through individual letters of notification. The letter will outline the work to be completed and approximate scheduling. ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Pauline Houston, Deputy CAO Infrastructure Services Department 3 - 2 June 5, 2014 File: 19-5161-192 City of Kitchener 200 King Street West Kitchener, Ontario N2G 4G7 Attention: Stephanie Brasseur NOISE EXEMPTION FOR OVERNIGHT DRILLING TO TAKE PLACE ON VICTORIA STREET AND HIGHWAY 85 Dear Ms. Brasseur: Thurber Engineering Ltd. (Thurber) has been retained by MMM Group to complete the geotechnical and pavement investigations as part of the replacement of the Victoria St. bridge over Hwy 85. Drilling on freeways such as Hwy 85 is often only feasible and permissible overnight due to the major impact roadwork would otherwise have on the heavy traffic. After the initial site visit and discussions with the Region of Waterloo, it was determined work on Victoria St. should also be completed overnight to reduce disruptions to traffic. All work will require lane closures and therefore is required to be scheduled to accommodate traffic patterns. 1. SCOPE OF WORK The work to be completed includes drilling boreholes on Victoria St. between Edna St. and Bruce St. as well as within the Hwy 85 right-of-way near the existing bridge. Boreholes will be drilled to collect soil samples and perform in-situ testing if required. The majority of boreholes to be drilled are foundation holes for the bridge replacement; those boreholes will be located within close proximity of the existing bridge on Victoria St. and the Hwy 85 corridor. Boreholes located on the remainder of Victoria St. closer to Edna and Bruce are pavement holes which will require less work and produce less noise as operations are relatively quick. 2. SUMMARY OF NOISE AND NOISE MITIGATION Noise caused by proposed borehole drilling will be mostly caused by the diesel engines powering the trucks and drill rig. Of these machines, the drill rig will be the loudest and will run during all working hours. The drill rig engine noise however is similar to the noise produced by a running transport truck; the noise is constant. 3 - 3 The loudest noise which will be made will be caused by the instrument used to collect soil samples. This tool uses a weight to hammer steel rods into the borehole and produces a loud `clinking' noise when in use. Past testing has shown noise levels ranging from 105-112 dB for similar equipment. Soil sampling requires the use of this instrument and will be done in approximately 20 - 30 minute intervals throughout the duration of drilling. Unfortunately there are no feasible options for reducing the level of noise created while drilling the proposed boreholes; the processes and tools available do not allow for lowering noise levels. Therefore, work will be planned to minimize noise disturbance closest to residential areas during late night hours. To do this, Thurber will drill boreholes located closest to Edna St. and Bruce St. at the start of work shifts and plan work near the bridge (furthest away from houses) after 11 pm. This will reduce noise exposure to residential areas during late night hours and provide the least overall noise disturbance. 3. SCHEDULE OF WORK Thurber expects to begin work within one week of receiving the approved Noise Exemption from the City of Kitchener and Road Cut Permit from Waterloo Region. Assuming the noise exemption is approved in the next council meeting, work will likely begin on July 2 on Victoria St. Starting work date is subject to drill rig availability. Drilling on Victoria St. is expected to take approximately 2 week to complete, however 3 weeks may be required to allow for poor weather and unexpected ground conditions. Drilling on Hwy 85 will take approximately 3 weeks to complete, however may take as long as 4 weeks due to weather and unexpected ground conditions. Overall, Thurber anticipates work will take place between July 2 and July 30, however we request the noise exemption be valid between July 2 and August 22 to account for unexpected circumstances and flexibility in drill rig availability. All work is proposed to be completed between the hours of 8pm and 6am, Sunday night to Saturday morning. 4. NOTIFICATION TO LOCAL ADDRESSES In an attempt to inform the public of the expected work, letters will be distributed to the addresses anticipated to be effected by the noise caused by overnight work. Letters will outline the work to be completed and approximate scheduling. The letter will be made available to a representative with the City of Kitchener for review prior to distribution. Yours truly, d � o Thurber Engineering Ltd. Matthew Whalen Assistant Project Manager 3 - 4