Noise suppression plan filed for demolition of Bethesda Ave. office building

The slow and laborious demolition of the office building at 4733 Bethesda Avenue continues, with the demolition contractor having recently filed a Noise Suppression Plan for the final phase of the destruction. If accepted by Montgomery County, the plan will allow for noise levels of up to 85 dBA.

What will be making the racket will be robotic hydraulic demolition units, and concrete pulverizer units. Best of all for folks living and working on that block, the plan filing states that the work "will take several months to complete."

The only upside for residents across the street (unless they work at night or from home), is that the loud work will be limited to business hours on weekdays. I suspect restaurants on that block, who want to draw customers to their outdoor patios, would have preferred a controlled demolition taking only a matter of seconds, rather than this drawn-out process that calls the Oldest Man to mind.

Here's how they demolish tall buildings elsewhere in the world:

FAA schedules meeting on proposed flight path change toward Bethesda

Updated 12:00 AM September 3: The meeting location has been moved to downtown Bethesda due to "Back to School Night" at Westland MS. Please note the new location below

A public workshop will be held on September 15 to discuss a proposed flight path change from Reagan National Airport along the Potomac River. The meeting will be held at 6:30 PM at the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center, which is located at 4805 Edgemoor Lane in Bethesda.

Under the proposed change, the path of jets departing Reagan National would move 1525' closer to the Maryland side of the Potomac from its current departure route. Essentially, neighborhoods in McLean would get a relative break at Bethesda and Palisades residents' expense (though, considering both communities are very wealthy, one has to wonder what would tip the political scales in any particular direction in this case). In official terms, however, the change is part of the NextGen program that the Federal Aviation Administration expects to have significant environmental and efficiency benefits.

Among those predicted benefits, the FAA says, will be the saving of 2.1 million gallons of jet fuel, and 18200 metric tons of carbon. The new flight paths will also improve on-time performance of airlines operating out of major U.S. cities, the agency forecasts.

The FAA says its "noise modeling" of May 2016 tells them that "there would be no significant noise impact" on communities near the new flight path. It should be noted that computer modeling is not the same as measuring actual noise levels in the real world environment.

Attendees will be able to speak individually with experts, and comment on the proposed flight path change. Those comments will be reviewed by the FAA before it makes its final determination this fall.

Map courtesy FAA

Ourisman Honda plans to jackhammer inside building at night in Bethesda (Photos)

Earplug and white noise machine alert for residents of the Flats at Bethesda Avenue, The Darcy, The Seasons, and possibly Crescent Plaza, 7001 Arlington Road, Upstairs at Bethesda Row, and the Sacks neighborhood. Ourisman Honda is renovating its service facilities, and the work will involve demolition. The contractor doing the work has requested a noise waiver from Montgomery County's Department of Environmental Protection to allow jackhammering of concrete to be done at night.

Nighttime work, expected to take place between now and June 2, 2016 from 9:00 PM to 6:00 AM, will involve jackhammering of concrete slabs and foundations, and generate vibration, noise and dust.

For those reasons, the dealership says the work cannot be done during business hours due to the potential health impact on customers and Ourisman employees.

The contractor is proposing to place sound attenuation walls and "sound blankets" against the exterior wall that faces the very lucky tenants of the Flats at Bethesda Avenue luxury apartments. A sign indicating the location of the contractor's field office is the only current indication that work is beginning.

Another noise waiver requested for Montrose Parkway nighttime work

I haven't heard directly from any residents near Montrose Parkway as to whether or not the nighttime utility work that began there in December has been a disturbance. But another noise waiver has been requested by Whiting-Turner in order to complete the project.

The work hours are supposed to be 9:00 PM to 7:00 AM, and the project is expected to be finished sometime in July. Work on E. Jefferson Street is also covered by the waiver.

Blasting necessary at Stonehall Bethesda construction site

BA-ROOOOM!

The construction team building the Stonehall Bethesda luxury condo building has run into the same problem as Flats 8300 did across Woodmont Avenue - Bethesda's rocky soil. Once again, blasting will be part of the solution to provide sufficient excavation for the project.

Hydraulic rock breaking will also be employed to remove the offending bedrock. If the contractor receives the expected approval from Montgomery County, it will be allowed to exceed the standard noise limit during daytime hours.

Blasting would take place through the end of May, if all goes according to schedule. The work would be restricted to the hours between 7:00 AM and 5:00 PM.

You can expect there may be vibration monitoring equipment again on site. This is to detect excessive vibration that could damage adjacent structures.

Nighttime noise driving Bethesda condo residents crazy (Photos)

Residents of the Crescent Plaza condominiums in downtown Bethesda have been between the hammer and the anvil over the last week. Not only is the Solaire Bethesda being constructed adjacent to their building on Wisconsin Avenue, but now nighttime road work has begun without any warning at the intersection of Wisconsin and Leland Street.

I had noticed this Sunday night, when the crew pictured above was working in the northbound lanes of Wisconsin at Leland. I've since heard from residents in Crescent Plaza that they were never notified of this nighttime work, which has run some nights between 10:00 PM to after 4:00 AM.

That led me to get in touch with Steve Martin, who handles noise issues for the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection. Martin confirmed that the mystery road crew had not filed for a nighttime noise waiver with the county. In fact, it was unclear just who these folks were.

Further investigation by Martin determined that the contractors are doing unspecified work for Pepco. He also provided a work schedule for the project, which is expected to be completed next week.

Pepco crew working
late last night on
Wisconsin Avenue

Pepco's crew was back again last night, this time in a new spot on Wisconsin directly in front of the Solaire Bethesda site (formerly Eastham's Exxon for those following from out-of-state). They were supposed to do some drilling and rebar work, which undoubtedly thrilled Crescent Plaza residents. They'll be back tonight to pour concrete, weather permitting. Then they'll take Friday and Saturday nights off - but return Sunday night. Finally, they will patch the road (which has been resurfaced twice at taxpayer expense in the last year) next week.

The problem for residents in this case, is that our DEP doesn't have authority over the Maryland State Highway Administration, according to Martin - although he said he is working to improve communication between the agencies regarding nighttime work. He also hopes to confirm Pepco's possession of an SHA Lane Closure Permit by today.

"While we don’t have the authority to stop this nighttime work," Martin said, "prior notification to nearby residences goes a long way towards minimizing complaints."

WSSC FAILED TO NOTIFY BETHESDA BUILDINGS ABOUT NIGHTTIME WORK NOISE (PHOTOS)

Montgomery County's point man on noise says the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission failed to properly notify residents near St. Elmo Avenue of nighttime work that has kept many tossing and turning this week. Steve Martin, Environmental Compliance Supervisor for the county's Department of Environmental Protection, said in a letter to the Triangle Towers Apartments on Cordell Avenue that the WSSC admitted to him they did not provide the notifications. 

Martin informed the utility that there were 3 residential buildings within the 300' notification range that should have been notified in advance of the noisy work: Triangle Towers, the Bainbridge Bethesda apartments, and the Fairmont Plaza condominiums. I personally have heard from several residents in each of those buildings, as well as one resident of The Palisades, all of whom have complained of the noise over the last several nights.

And the work is not finished. According to a copy of the memo obtained by Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row, WSSC's contractor will be back on-site tonight, and on the evenings of September 2 and 3, 2014. The work involves a sewer line replacement, mandated by federal regulations on aging and failing sewer lines, according to Martin.

What can you do about the noise? Martin advises sleepless residents to contact Brandon Stewart, the WSSC Customer Care Representative for Bethesda, by email.

Martin says that, as a state entity, the WSSC is exempt from the county's noise ordinance - and that they did not advise him of the work in advance, either. He said he has informed the Bethesda Urban Partnership, Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center, and the 2nd District station of the Montgomery County Police about the noise issue.

Here are some photos from their work last night:

NIGHTTIME UTILITY WORK ON ST. ELMO AVE. IN BETHESDA (PHOTOS)

Work crews are back on St. Elmo Avenue tonight, working on underground utilities. Watch out for lane closures on St. Elmo between Norfolk and Woodmont Avenues. A few readers have complained of nighttime noise from this work.

Setting up for a long
night ahead

You might want to detour around this
via Cordell and Norfolk Avenues

They're working on
below-ground utilities

RUDE AWAKENING FOR DOWNTOWN BETHESDA RESIDENTS LAST NIGHT (PHOTOS)

Remember those heavy construction vehicles that were positioned at the former BP station the other night? Last night, they were put to use, much to the chagrin of nearby residents in the vicinity of Old Georgetown Road.

NIGHTTIME BETHESDA ROAD WORK DRIVING RESIDENTS CRAZY (PHOTOS)

I have posted photos of road crews working, and lane closures, on Wisconsin Avenue by Battery Lane the last 2 nights.

But many residents of nearby homes, and apartment buildings Rosedale Park and 8200 Wisconsin, are telling me - and county police - they've had enough of the overnight racket.

The State Highway Administration is referring to the project as road maintenance work. It involves digging in the roadway, and steel plates that are being knocked about by passing cars.

As you can see in the photos, a massive Vermeer saw is utilized in the work.

There is no indication how long the 9 PM - 5 AM cacophony will last, but permits for such work are often issued, and have been in this case. The permits exempt a contractor from nighttime noise restrictions. Alas, little announcements in newspapers rarely come to the attention of affected residents during the comment period for noise waivers.

It's clear from the many unknowns that residents were never directly informed about this project.

DOWNTOWN BETHESDA RESIDENTS DISTURBED BY NIGHTTIME MOVING TRUCKS (PHOTOS)

Some downtown Bethesda residents were disturbed by the after-hours move of Long and Foster and Sage Title to 7700 Old Georgetown Road last night. The move continues tonight, but it is unclear how late they'll go this time.

One resident posted the following comment here on my blog:

"I live across the street from the building at 7700 Old Georgetown Road and definitely heard the moving vans all night long, until past 3 a.m., in fact! People living in the neighborhood don't appreciate it. And this is not the first time that the building has been guilty of after-hours noise, with no regard to people living nearby."

Trucks were being loaded on Bethesda Avenue earlier this evening for the move:

OVERNIGHT "SOIL BORING" COULD DISTURB DOWNTOWN BETHESDA RESIDENTS MARCH 4-15 - EXCLUSIVE!

If you live near the Capital Crescent Trail tunnel between Bethesda Row and Waverly Street in downtown Bethesda, there could be some noisy nights ahead in March.

A Baltimore company, E2CR, Inc., plans to perform exploratory soil borings inside the tunnel between 9:00 PM and 5:00 AM from March 5-15.  You know, the hours most people are trying to sleep, right?

The company has requested a noise waiver from Montgomery County to perform the work.  If you have questions or complaints about the proposed work, call Steve Martin of the Montgomery County Department of the Environment at 240-777-7746 this week.

No decibel level has been given for the work, so it is unclear just how loud it will be.  Obviously, it is a level that will exceed the nighttime rules.

The work is related to the future construction of the Purple Line light rail line between Bethesda and New Carrollton.  My understanding is that they are doing this at night so that trail users will be unaffected during the day.

Blasting in the day!

Boring in the night!

What will happen next?

DEMOLITION PERMIT SOUGHT FOR OLD BETHESDA POST OFFICE (PHOTOS)

The developer of a future mixed-use building on the site of the Arlington Road Bethesda Post Office has formally requested a demolition permit from Montgomery County.

Demolition of the former USPS facility will add to the dust and noise of construction in the Bethesda Row area.  Along with excavation, demolition will require heavy truck traffic in and out of the property, on already-busy and cramped Arlington Road.

Who needs a functioning post office, when we can have more multifamily housing for millionaires, right?

Yeah, okay.