WSDOT’s Noise Solution? Earplugs.

One of WSDOT’s proposals for night time noise mitigation? Give residents earplugs. You heard right. WSDOT’s approach to mitigating night time noise during Montlake 520 construction is to offer the absolute minimum. Their ideas include:

 Provide earplugs and white noise machines to residents near the project area.

 Install temporary sound dampening drapes for residents.

 Provide hotel rooms for residents during high impact or extremely noisy operations.

We need to tell the city that this is NOT OK. Speak up now on WSDOT’s proposed Noise Variance for SR520 Montlake Phase Construction.

WSDOT’s previous noise variance was dismissed on a technicality. Now WSDOT has refiled the noise variance request. We need to be heard as a community (again) and tell the city this is not okay.

What You Can Do: ATTEND THE MEETING THIS THURSDAY

Public Meeting – Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections
February 15, 2018
4:30 p.m. – 7 p.m.
University of Washington – Kane Hall
4069 Spokane Lane
Seattle, WA 98105

Parking
Paid parking is available at the Central Plaza Garage. Parking permits are available at any campus gatehouse for $10.Paid street and lot parking is available on local streets near UW campus.

What You Can Do: SEND COMMENTS BY FEBRUARY 20

Comment on the Noise Variance request by February 20th to:

• Email:prc@seattle.gov (please include project #3030792 in the subject line)
• Mail: SDCI, PRC, P.O. Box 34019, Seattle, WA, 98124-4019 (please reference project # 3030792)

More background from the Montlake Community Club…

On Jan. 17, 2018, WSDOT resubmitted the SR 520 Montlake Phase noise variance application to the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI). WSDOT resubmitted the application to provide more accurate public notice based on the location of known nighttime construction and staging areas. The technical analysis in the application has not changed. SDCI has now published the resubmitted application on its website, and has launched a new comment period for the application, Jan. 25 – Feb. 20. The Montlake Phase nighttime noise variance application is available on SDCI’s Land Use Information Bulletin (Project #3030792).

Public meeting on February 20th –

We are finding the location and the time to be an impediment for a lot of people.  The Montlake Community Club has suggested finding a time and location that will draw people to attend, not drive them away.  We fear that poor attendance will give the impression that no one cares.  Quite the opposite is true. Please show up if you care about this issue.

WSDOT has and is persistently insistent on providing the absolute minimum noise mitigation possible for an extended period of time. That WSDOT is suggesting in their application that offering residents earplugs is a valid mitigation measure shows a complete lack of care of the impacts that those near the work zone, in an urban environment, will endure.

If one of the City’s mandates is to preserve its neighborhoods, the noise variance, in its current form, should be rejected.

We cannot be more vocal about this: the acceptance of the variance request prior to the RFI being issued is premature.  If need is actually established and a mitigation plan by the selected Design/Build Contractor has submitted with an opportunity to accept Public comment, only then should a permit be issued.  The concept of a multi-year blanket permit is unacceptable.