Photo Anja Karadeglija
	The construction site of the new MUHC hospital complex at the Glen Yards.

Local residents bothered by the noise on the construction site of the new MUHC super hospital might have noticed that it has gotten louder recently, but there’s a silver lining – this is about as bad as it will get.

The most recent phase in the work, which started at the beginning of the month, creates repetitive banging noises as long steel piles are driven deep into the ground.

About 6000 of them will eventually be hammered in, and the work will continue until January or February, said Yanai Elbaz, the associate executive director at the MUHC.

“This is the period where it’s obviously the most noisy - after, things will flow more easily in terms of noise control,” he said.

Previously, neighbours had complained about the noise created by construction, including the excavation work, but the number of complaints hasn’t increased since the piling work began, he said.

“So far we did receive some complaints, but not many,” said Elbaz, adding that the MUHC will soon hold another meeting with the community.

At a public meeting held in September, many residents expressed anger about problems like noise and dirt, as well as a lack of communication between the MUHC and the community.

Elbaz noted that “every month, every two months, we are going to meet with them to make sure that they are very well involved in the process.”

Elbaz said that to minimize disruption to the community, piling work stops at 5 p.m. each day.

However, excavation work, which is less noisy and 65% complete at this point, begins at 7 a.m. and stops at 10 p.m.

The piles are necessary because the quality of the soil on the site is weak, said Charles Chebl, the vice-president of the construction division at SNC-Lavalin. The posts are hollow and will be filled with concrete, which is necessary to support the foundation of the buildings.

The hospital complex is set to open in 2014, and will include the Montreal Children’s Hospital, the Royal Victoria Hospital, the Montreal Chest Institute, the Research Institute of the MUHC, and a cancer centre. In the meantime, the MUHC has set up a 24-hour phone line, at 514-934-8317.

[Anja Karadeglija]