Cecil Township Taking Pa. Turnpike Commission, Construction Company To Court Over Noise Complaints
CECIL TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KDKA) -- Some Washington County residents are tired of the noise coming from one nearby construction zone.
KDKA learned that the noise is allegedly happening at all hours of the night, and some people who live in the area have not been able to catch a full night's sleep in weeks. The noise has reportedly become such a disturbance that Cecil Township is now taking legal action.
According to township solicitor Gretchen E. Moore, the township was unable to reach an agreement with the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission regarding the overnight work reportedly happening on Pennsylvania Turnpike 576, Section 55C2-1, which is part of the Southern Beltway.
"We are being inundated with complaints," said Moore.
"I woke up at 2:00 a.m. last night and you could hear the boom, boom, boom, boom, boom going on," said Dave Gault.
Other residents have also complained about light, glare and dust coming from the construction site.
Cecil Township recently filed an injunction in the Washington County Court of Common Pleas against the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and the Walsh Construction Company to end the noise.
Moore, citing in the complaint, said there has been a "flagrant" disregard of the township's noise ordinance, which prohibits work between 6 p.m. and 7 a.m.
"That is our ordinance and they have been in violation of it for quite some time now," said Moore.
The project began in February 2019, and the township has been receiving complaints about the overnight work since the end of the summer. The attorneys representing the Turnpike were unable to comment.
The case will go before the judge on Nov. 24. The project is not scheduled to be completed until mid-2022.