The sound and the fury: Route 9 DOT beeping at 4:00 AM

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Update March 26, 2013 By Steven E Greer

BatteryPark.TV remained in communication with the DOT regarding the unbearable construction noise on the West Side Highway at the Battery Park underpass. Although the DOT had made good efforts, and switched out high pitched “beep beep” noise makers mandated by OSHA, one of the vehicles still had one installed, and was creating as much of a problem as the former entire fleet of vehicles.

The DOT spokesperson, Julie Nadel, tried to lower expectations and prepare the community to simply get used to it. BP.TV replied that such an option was unacceptable, and that if the offending machine could not be removed, then the nighttime work would have to be shifted to the daytime.

As of this week, the remaining machine with the high pitched piercing “beep” noisemakers seems to have been removed. The replacement OSHA-approved noisemakers are lower pitched far more tolerable.

This progress in muting the sleep-depriving noise from the DOT construction was made without any assistance from the building managers of the apartments that are located next to the construction. BP.TV emailed and called several times the managers of the Visioniare, Millennium Towers, and Milford Management, and gave them the names and emails of the DOT to send concerns and relay complaints. Nothing was ever done on behalf of the residents for which they are paid to serve.

Once again, BP.TV got results where others could not.

Update: March 12, 2012 By Steven E. Greer

After our report, below, of the obscene noise made by the state DOT crew on the West Side Highway, disrupting thousands of residents at 4:00 AM, our message was heard. A State DOT person, Julie Nadel, called to inform us that the engineers “took your advice” and would drive the vehicles forward, rather than in reverse, to avoid the safety beeping nuisance.

The changes made a big improvement. At 2:00 AM on Monday, March 12, a brief beeping was heard, but that was all. The persistent beeps that were lasting for hours were no longer heard.

BatteryPark.TV would like to thank the staff of the state DOT who promptly took our complaints seriously and addressed them. Unfortunately, most people of New York, using the 311 complaint system, would have been unable to get any results. 311 does not take DOT construction complaints, and instead, refers callers to a state environmental division, that requires complaints be mailed to them by US mail.

March 9, 2013 By Steven E. Greer

Residents of lower Manhattan living near The West Side Highway (Route 9A) are in store for four months of loud construction vehicle safety warning “beep beep beep” as the New York State DOT, led by Joan McDonald, begins work on the underpass tunnel. As seen in

DOT's Joan McDonald

DOT’s Joan McDonald

the video, the noise is caused as the construction crew ends the shift and begins removing traffic barrels, from approximately 4:00 AM to 6:00 AM. Why the trucks have to back up, triggering the beeping alert, rather than drive forward, is unknown.

Residents affected by this unbearable early morning awakening noise should file reports with 311. The documentation makes a difference. Adam Levine is the spokesperson for the NY State DOT, and can be contacted at (718) 482-4526 alevine@dot.state.ny.us

 

Route 9 DOT notice

 

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2 Responses to The sound and the fury: Route 9 DOT beeping at 4:00 AM

  1. CC says:

    Has anyone else complained about the horrible day-long beeping coming from the cherry picker that’s ostensibly doing work on 350 Albany Street balconies? It does that back-up beeping noise from 8 AM to 5 PM every weekday and is apparently going to continue for weeks. I work from home a few days a week and it’s crazy. There’s no reason that noise has to be continuous. I filed a noise complaint and one of the other neighbors went over to confront the supervisor but they told him to fuck off. They also came outside and tried to intimidate him while he was photographing the building permits.

    Is anyone else complaining about this? Do you live close enough to hear this noise?

  2. chconkl says:

    By the way, this building has permits from the Department of Tranportation, but the work being done is on the facade of the building. The permits look fake. Still beeping today…

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