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DOT to Milwaukee Third Ward: Only One More Night of Loud Construction on Hoan Bridge

Friday night should be the last of what Milwaukee Ald. Robert Bauman calls the "bone-jarring and excessive," noise depriving neighbors of sleep.

The state Dept. of Transportation is re-decking the Hoan Bridge, a project scheduled to take until late in 2015. Demolition crews have been using jackhammers and other large equipment overnight, to pull concrete off the steel structures. Residents says the crushing noise and vibrations have rocked their bedrooms from 8 P.M. until 3 A.M.

According to Bauman, the DOT "believes (it's) exempt from the city's noise ordinance." He sent a letter to Gov. Walker on Friday, asking him to compel the DOT to stop the loud demolition work at night.

Construction Project Manager Carolynn Gellings says the work has been noisier than expected, but if it must continue after Friday night, it will occur during daytime hours.

She says other work will take place at night because the DOT wants to complete the bridge project in as short a time frame as possible.

Gellings says it's always challenging to conduct a major renovation project in urban areas, and while the agency does not have to adhere to local noise rules, it strives to do so.