CTW Construction Noise Notice
Residents of Carmichael Towers West,
As you know, construction has begun on the next Residential College at Vanderbilt. The site is fenced in and some surface clearing is underway. The purpose of this notice is to provide information about the work that will occur this semester.
The next steps will be about making the site ready for constructing a building. Because Nashville sits on limestone that is very close to the surface, excavating the site will require blasting the bedrock so that it can be removed. First, the site will be drilled in a pattern that facilitates fracturing of the rock. Then, in increments, the site will be blasted to initiate the fracturing. After blasting, large pieces of rock will be hammered and broken into pieces small enough to fit into dump trucks. Other work will take place, too.
Drilling is noisy and dusty. Blasting can be startling but is over within 30 seconds. Hammering is noisy, like a jack-hammer, but deeper, slower, and louder. We wish we could avoid these methods but construction requires them.
Drilling will begin during the week of January 29. Blasting is expected to begin around February 15, twice per day. Rock hammering will begin around the last week of February or early March, depending on the progress of drilling and blasting. We expect that this work will continue throughout the spring semester.
To limit the disruptions and inconveniences of construction, Vanderbilt requires the builder to delay particularly noisy work (drilling, blasting, and rock hammering) until after 8:00 a.m. Other work can occur before 8:00 a.m., including movement of trucks and other vehicles. Because federal worker safety laws require them, back up horns will sound when construction vehicles move in reverse.
We apologize for these inconveniences but they are necessary for Vanderbilt to take its next steps in development of the College Halls program and upgrading our housing facilities. Your understanding is greatly appreciated.