HomeMy WebLinkAboutDTS-09-001 - Noise Exemption - MTO - Highway 8 Reconstruction & WideningI~TCx~~~
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Report To: Development & Technical Services Committee
Date of Meeting: January 5, 2009
Submitted By: John McBride, Director of Transportation Planning
Prepared By: Stephanie Brasseur, Traffic Project Co-ordinator (741-2373)
Ward(s) Involved: All
Date of Report: November 7, 2008
Report No.: DTS- 09-01
Subject: HIGHWAY 8 RECONSTRUCTION AND WIDENING,
MINISTRY OF TRANSPORTATION -NOISE EXEMPTION
RECOMMENDATION:
That the Ministry of Transportation 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 reconstruction and widening of Highway 8 from 1.0 km north of the Grand
River Bridge southerly to Highway 401 in the City of Kitchener, Ministry of Transportation
G.W.P 277-97-00. The request for the noise by-law exemption is only between the hours
of 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. for the period anticipated from the March 31, 2009 to tentatively
be completed in December 31, 2011.
BACKGROUND:
In order to complete the work and minimize traffic disruption for this project, nighttime and
weekend work must take place in order to complete the project in the time allotment. This
exemption is requested in order to complete the work as required. This proposed work could
require partial and complete closures of the Expressway to travel at this location, causing
serious traffic disruption. Traffic interference will be minimized by working at night when
volumes are lower.
SCOPE OFWORK:
The project is expected to commence in the Spring of 2009 and be finished in December 2011,
representing athree-year timeline. The project timeline depends on the completion of other
work projects along Highway 8.
The work includes:
• Widening Highway 8 from four lanes to eight lanes, from 1.0 km north of the Grand River
to King Street East;
• Widening Highway 8 from four lanes to six lanes, from King Street East to Sportsworld
Drive;
• Pavement resurfacing from Sportsworld Drive to Highway 401;
• Constructing a new bridge to twin the existing Grand River Bridge;
• Rehabilitating and widening if the existing Grand River Bridge;
• Widening the existing King Street East bridges to accommodate the highway widening;
• Constructing median barriers and storm sewers;
• Installing new signs and lighting.
The work relative to the noise exemption involves the following construction activities:
Moving operations, overhead signs and the Grand River Bridge rehabilitation and widening.
Moving operations covers such items as milling, paving, temporary concrete barrier
installation/removals, and line painting which are preferably carried out at night when traffic
volumes are low to minimize disruption to traffic and to improve worker safety. Overhead sign
work includes stopping all highway traffic for safety during the erection of overhead signs and
therefore the work is preferably carried out at night, as it would adversely affect highway traffic if
carried out during the day.
For both moving operations and overhead sign work, any noise generated by these activities
would be of short duration in any one location. These operations also would not be continuous
but would be intermittent during the course of construction.
Grand River Bridge Rehabilitation and Widening includes the following:
In order to remove the existing Grand River bridge deck, it is required to sawcut the deck into
large sections and then removes these sections by crane. For safety reasons, a full closure of
Highway 8 will be required while each section is removed. Once again, to minimize the impacts
to traffic, it is proposed that this operation also be restricted tonight-time work when traffic
volumes are lowest.
Noise will be generated by the saw cutting equipment, cranes, and trucks and will be localized
to the Hidden Valley Road and Hofstetter Avenue areas however to mitigate the potential for
noise trespass, provisions are provided in the MTO contract requiring the contractor to
implement noise mitigation measures such as proper noise arrestors and curbing machinery
idling.
Exemptions to operations of pile driving are not being requested as these operations are
required for the construction however will be restricted to day-time work only.
TYPE OF NOISE:
The majority of the noise will be created by the general construction operations and as listed
above. Where possible the majority of the construction work will take place during day time
hours with the exception of the activities listed above.
2
DURATION:
It is proposed for this MTO work to commence in March 2009 and be completed in December
2011. We hope to minimize traffic interference by allowing the contractor to work at night when
volumes are lower.
TYPE OF NOISE:
The outline of the type noise created by the work includes; milling, paving, temporary concrete
barrier installation/removals, and line painting all involving moving operations. The installation
of overhead signs and the removal of the Grand River bridge deck via saw cutting and crane
operations.
Noise protocol will be followed, which covers administrative measures such as scheduling of
noisy activities at times of least impact, selection of haulage routes to minimize close proximity
to neighbours, and maintaining contact with residents.
In order to expedite the construction and allow extended hours of work to take place for this
project, thereby minimizing traffic impacts, we recommend that this request for a noise by-law
exemption be granted.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
None.
COMMUNICATIONS:
The Ministry of Transportation and its contractor will communicate the expectation of extended
working hours to area residents and will be actively advising of any changes as they develop.
CONCLUSION:
In order to expedite the construction and allow extended hours of work to take place for this
project, thereby minimizing traffic impacts on Highway 8 and adjacent arterial roadways, we
recommend that this request for a noise by-law exemption be granted.
John P. McBride, Director
Transportation Planning
Stephanie Brasseur, C.E.T.
Traffic Project Co-ordinator
Transportation Planning
Ken Carmichael, C.E.T.
Supervisor of Traffic & Parking
Transportation Planning
SB