Residents in one of the most densely populated neighborhoods in San Diego are losing sleep while overnight construction crews work to repair underground pipelines.
The construction project spans nearly seven blocks of 30th Street between University Avenue and Upas Street in North Park. It’s not hard to find someone living along that strip who is upset with the after-dark ruckus.
“Pounding, jack hammers,large loads being put into dump trucks,” explained resident Nate Fuller.
Those things, and nearly every other noise you could possible think of, are what's keeping Fuller up at night.
“Week one when they were immediately adjacent to us, probably waking up five to six times that night," he said.
North Park has been plagued with old pipes causing water main breaks, outages and flooding. Public records pulled by NBC 7 in early September 2019 revealed the city of San Diego has paid out more than $1.5 million in damages caused by water main breaks.
Neighbor Ann Mendelson isn't any happier about the nocturnal repairs than her neighbors, but said she expects to sleep better with a more reliable water service.
Sleepless in #Northpark while the 30th street watermain is under nocturnal construction. Stay up with #NBC7 We’re live at 11 pic.twitter.com/vHktCtOvio
— Dave Summers (@DaveSummersNBC7) October 24, 2019
“We need it done, right? It is a quiet neighborhood so of course we're aware of (the noise) but I think they are working efficiently, effectively and quickly,” Mendelson said.
The 30th Street pipeline replacement project goes through North park, Golden Hill and other southeastern communities. Crews are tasked with replacing more than five miles of pipeline that run through the center of the street, according to the city.
Business owners in the area were told by the city that nighttime construction would be less disruptive to the local neighborhood economy, but Dax Jordan, owner of Torque Moto Café at 30th and Dwight streets, said she's lost half her customers.
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"A soon as it starts at 8 p.m. you can't hear anything,” Jordan said.
The project started in April 2018 and isn't expected to be completed until July 2020. Anyone interested can sign up for email project updates on the city's website.
NBC 7 reached out to the city for comment but has not heard back.
