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Overnight Virginia Beach roadwork upsets neighbors

Posted at 4:10 PM, Oct 22, 2018
and last updated 2018-10-22 17:50:55-04

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Instead of alarm clocks, neighbors who live on East Stratford Road near Shore Drive woke to the sound of jackhammers Monday morning.

Neighbors like Mike Ireland, an area doctor, say the construction lasted all night long.

"It was a pounding, jackhammer type of noise," Ireland said. "It's a bit inappropriate for that kind of noise to be going on at that time in the morning."

While the noise angered a lot of neighbors, the City of Virginia Beach says this roadwork is allowed without any special overnight work permit.

According to a spokesperson with Virginia Beach Public Works, it was not a city crew working. It was a subcontractor hired by Mclean Contracting, which is currently handling the Lesner Bridge project.

The noise is part of milling and paving work connected to the bridge construction. East Stratford Road is right before the construction zone for the Lesner Bridge. While it is a residential area, it sees a lot of traffic.

According to the City of Virginia Beach, milling and paving projects are typically completed overnight in heavily trafficked areas. Since East Stratford Road is one of those areas, the company didn't need to apply for a special permit to do the work.

A public works spokesperson says the work on East Stratford Road will continue Monday night into Tuesday morning. Neighbors say they plan to take steps like sleeping in other rooms and wearing earbuds to cancel out the noise.