BATH, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- Construction workers are hard at work in Bath and many who live nearby are eager to see the new and improved viaduct, but some are not very happy with the construction noise.
That's because they're having trouble sleeping, as demolition and construction crews work through the night to get the project done as quickly as possible.
The ground around the demolition site actually shakes underfoot as the concrete from the viaduct is pulled away.
For the folks who live around it, that's something they're still getting used to and losing a bit of sleep over.
Joe Black has lived in Bath for a long time and says the situation his neighborhood is in right now is certainly a unique one.
He hasn't lived in the current building he calls home on Middle Street his whole life, but says the past few days have been like, “living in a war zone.”
“You have the jackhammer, which is like a machine gun,” he said. “You get the wrecking ball, which is like grenades or bombs going off.”
Joe isn't the only one losing sleep over the demolition.
Some of his neighbors have been waking up in the middle of the night forcing them to change work schedules.
“Last night for example, I slept from about two to four,” said Chelsea Hinds. “I was just listening and peeking out the window to see if they were close to being done.”
Hinds says she's lucky she has a flexible schedule so she can start work later in the day.
She also wonders if it would have been possible for Maine DOT to just shut the roads down completely for a week to get the viaduct down.
“That would be a little be easier to work with because I'm not home during the day,” she added.
Others say the noise doesn't bother them nearly as much as it does some neighbors.
Cecil Gilliam says he finds ways to distract himself from the banging
“I don't pay attention to it most of the time,” said Gilliam whose distraction methods include watching TV and going for a car ride.
Either way, it's not going to change the construction schedule in the near future.
The DOT has addressed the noise in emails to NEWS CENTER.
The department says the noise is not ideal. but will allow the viaduct work to be completed as quickly as possible.
That should happen sometime toward the middle or end of November.
