Night Works and Noise Management
Our working hours
We intend to carry out as much work as possible during normal working hours – between 7am and 7pm (excluding Sundays and public holidays).
However, where work needs to be undertaken within 1.5 metres of live traffic, traffic conditions will need to be changed to protect both CEA workers and the public. Due to the high traffic volumes experienced on
Great Eastern Highway such traffic changes, including lane closures, are not permitted during the day.
As a result of these safety and traffic conditions, many of our activities must occur outside of normal working hours and will take place between 7pm and 7am, Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays).
What activities are we carrying out?
Our planned out of hours work activities will include, but are not limited to:
• removal of existing infrastructure including footpaths and kerbing
• delivery of materials such as sand and asphalt
• excavation works
• compaction of road materials
Equipment used for these activities will include power saws, backhoes, diggers, profilers, tip trucks, cranes, drills, graders, water carts, pavers and rollers.
When night work is essential we will endeavour to schedule our noisier activities such as cutting, breaking and grinding early in the shift (between 7pm and 11pm) following the implementation of safe traffic changes.
Where work needs to extend beyond 11pm we will endeavour to restrict our work to lower impact activities, under strict supervision, to help minimise disturbance to those in adjacent properties.
On some occasions, such as when we need to reconstruct an intersection, we may have to continue noisier work throughout the night. In these instances we will endeavour to provide additional and specific notification to those likely to be affected.
How are our working hours and activities controlled?
Our working practices, hours and related construction methodology were developed with an independent acoustic consultant and form part of our Construction Noise and Vibration Management Plan, which has been approved by the City of Belmont.
What are we doing to minimise disturbance?
We understand the impact our work will have, not only on the 55,000 vehicles using the arterial route every day, but also on the local community and in particular the adjacent residents and businesses and apologise for any inconvenience. While it is not possible to eliminate all noise, we will endeavour to minimise the impact of these essential out of hours works where possible.
Some of these measures include:
• planning work activities to use the quietest reasonably available equipment and work methods
• using flashing light reversing indicators as opposed to traditional ‘beepers’
• endeavouring to orient equipment so the noise impact is away from properties
• we have devised a progressive construction methodology, which has divided the project site into five key areas and will limit the amount of time spent in each area
• implementing a rolling work schedule to avoid several night work shifts in residential locations, where practicable
• using oscillating rollers rather than traditional vibrating rollers for road material compaction to significantly reduce vibration
• delivering materials required for night time work in advance when possible
• using machinery intermittently and not idling vehicles unnecessarily
• highlighting the sensitive surrounds of the site and reminding staff to keep noise to a minimum when carrying out works, particularly at night time