Things That Go Bump in the Night

Rumbles From Construction Work Rudely Awoke Residents

The commotion awoke Harrison and Olivia Wein just after midnight. In the darkness behind their Derwood home, Harrison Wein said, bulldozers and other construction equipment beeped, rumbled and made loud banging noises the rest of the night.

As if living adjacent to the future 18.8-mile Intercounty Connector weren't bad enough, Wein said, the noisy highway construction they had begun to cope with all day had taken over their nights, too.

"The fact that they were doing it in the middle of the night was infuriating," Harrison Wein said. "Obviously, they're going to make noise building this, but you just assume they're going to be doing it during the day."

For almost two weeks late last month, the connector's construction occurred around the clock, seven days a week, subjecting some nearby residents to sleepless nights and irritating days. Two residents accepted state officials' offer to pay for a hotel room, with one family staying six nights. Some residents said it was a far cry from what they had heard during community meetings in the fall, when they recall state officials saying the loud, dusty work would occur between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.

State highway officials say the overnight work was limited and was permitted under the construction contract. Although most work would indeed occur weekdays between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., they said, the contract does not specify when construction might take place. It does, however, limit how loud work can be, with tighter noise restrictions during overnight hours, said Melinda Peters, the state's project director.

The overnight work between Feb. 19 and March 1 was necessary, officials said, because the contractor had to reroute a stream and adjacent underground water pipes before the state-issued environmental permit for disrupting a stream expired March 1. David Buck, a spokesman for the Maryland State Highway Administration, said the contractor did not violate any of the late-night noise limits, which he said state officials monitored. The all-night work ended March 1, officials said, and they don't foresee another around-the-clock schedule for several months.

Officials said all-night work could occur when the contractor needs to meet a deadline or stay on schedule, such as if workers lose large amounts of time due to bad weather. Because of the recent community outcry in Derwood, state officials said, they plan to do a better job of warning residents, including contacting more who live farther from the construction sites and providing more details about how long the overnight work will last.

"With any construction project, we try to make sure most work is done during [daytime] work hours," Peters said. "But this is a pretty complicated project. If we restrict them too much, it could take them longer to complete."

Without occasional night and weekend work, Buck said, "You turn a three-year project into a five-year project. We hear folks say, 'We want you in and out as quickly as you can.' "

The six-lane toll highway, estimated to cost $2.4 billion, will link Gaithersburg with the Laurel area in Prince George's County. State officials say the road, which was debated for 40 years, will ease east-west traffic congestion beyond the Capital Beltway and link job centers in the corridors of interstates 270 and Interstate 95. Highway opponents, including some who are continuing to appeal a recent federal court ruling in favor of the highway, have said that it will cause too much environmental damage. It is scheduled to open in segments beginning in 2010, with completion expected by 2012 .

Construction in the highway's first seven-mile section between I-270 and Georgia Avenue is well underway. In the Derwood neighborhood, between Shady Grove and Redland roads, the effects of the work have become strikingly clear.

Back fences have been replaced by bright orange netting serving as a barrier between back yards and an enormous construction site. Thick woods have been cleared, leaving a wide swath of reddish-brown dirt.

Trucks, bulldozers and other equipment beep and rumble past homes, sometimes within 50 yards. The noise can be heard from the Rev. Donald Marbury's living room sofa, even with the doors and windows closed. On his back deck, Marbury must raise his voice to be heard. He said he's glad the night work has stopped. His wife, Sheila, is a light sleeper and was awakened repeatedly by the all-night construction, Marbury said.

"Especially in the quiet of the night, the noise is amplified," said Marbury, pastor of Ebenezer AME Church in Brunswick. "It's an unexpected and unpleasant surprise."

Some Derwood area residents have even posted videos on YouTube of what they say is tree clearing near their homes on the ICC route.

After the all-night work began, some residents wrote to Montgomery County Council member Phil Andrews (D-Gaithersburg-Rockville) to complain.

"I've been to a lot of ICC meetings over the years," said Andrews, a longtime connector opponent. "I think no one expected 24-7 work near residential areas."

Anyone with concerns or questions about the construction can call the Maryland State Highway Administration at 877-701-4636.

To see videos that Derwood residents say show tree clearing along the the ICC route, go tohttp://www.washingtonpost.com/montgomery.