Belt Parkway Pile Driving Will Have Sound Mitigation

When we told you on Friday that Department of Transportation contractors will start pile driving in the early morning hours this week, we cautioned not to get too fired up until we heard back about sound mitigation.

It didn’t stop some from getting antsy, though, with commenters bemoaning the loss of sleep due to the thunderous banging that they thought would ring through the blocks around Hubbard Street and Shore Parkway.

Well, good news, everybody: DOT community liaison Teresa Toro got back to us and there will be procedures in place to mitigate sound and vibration levels. They will be using a pneumatic hammer, which they say is the “quietest” kind of pile driving machinery, and there will also be a material placed between the pile and the hammer to dampen sound and vibrations.

Toro noted, however, that there still would be some sound, and that the agency is doing what they can to ensure residents’ expectations of peace.

“Sometimes, though, they just can’t get around it,” Toro said.

She added that they’ve done other pile driving during the day, and they try to complete as much work as possible when the sun is still out. But if a segment of work – such as the specific piles they’ll be working on – require a lane closure, it needs to be done at night.

The pile driving should be completed this week, barring severe weather conditions that may cause delays. The entire project will be done in Fall 2011.