Bill Seeks to Mute Construction Noise

Is your co-op or condo located next door to a construction site that pours forth a non-stop symphony of pile drivers, jack hammers, cement mixers and bellowing construction workers? If so, you’re far from alone. You might also be in for some good news.

City Councilman Dan Garodnick, who represents much of Manhattan’s east side, has introduced a bill that would require the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to post noise mitigation plans for construction sites on its website, and would also require developers to post the plans at the work site in clear public view, DNAinfo reports.

Every construction project in the city is required to devise a strategy for reducing noise, such as the use of muffling equipment, and also a timetable for the expected completion of the job. But the only way citizens can read the plans is to contact the DEP or the contractor – which Garodnick calls an unnecessary barrier to keeping tabs on construction crews.

The prospect of being able to read noise mitigation plans and estimated completion dates is welcome news to Scott Rifkin, whose building overlooks the entrance to the Queens Midtown Tunnel, a source of repeated complaints about construction noise. “I think it would make them more accountable,” Rifkin said.