Residents Upset About Late-Night UDOT Construction In Taylorsville

TAYLORSVILLE, Utah – How late at night is too late for construction? The Utah Department of Transportation has been rebuilding the intersection at 5400 South and Bangerter Highway in Taylorsville as a freeway style interchange.

They told residents the noise would end at 10 p.m. each night, but the neighbors said it lasts all night, and one of them sent KSL a video.

The video was shot from her back yard Tuesday night around 10:30 p.m. – 30 minutes after the noised was supposed to stop. The video was nearly black, but you can clearly hear a jackhammer or pile driver making loud, rhythmic noises.

After 10 p.m., that work has not been permitted by the Salt Lake County temporary noise ordinance for the job.

“It’ll shake your house. You can feel it rattle through the whole house,” said Doug Kitchens.

Kitchens has lived in his home for the last 35 years. We visited his house. You can see and hear the construction of the southbound on-ramp for Bangerter Highway from his back yard. He said construction noise has never ended at 10 p.m.

“I’ve heard it at 2 or 3 a.m. – (sometimes) 4 o’clock in the morning,” he said.

It’s very loud, he said, as though crews are breaking up concrete, or rock – not light construction noises.

Kitchens was not the viewer who sent the video to KSL, but his experience was similar over the last six months.

“Besides the jackhammer, it’s a large slamming noise that rattles your house,” he said.

KSL played the video for UDOT spokesman John Gleason. He admitted, the noise was loud and not permitted.

“That’s jackhammering,” he said, listening to the video. “That’s something we shouldn’t be doing after 10 o’clock at night.”

UDOT has a noise permit from Salt Lake County to work around the clock.  But, loud noises, like the ones we hear on that video, are prohibited.  Flood lights and the beeping noise from construction vehicles backing up are not necessarily prohibited.

“Jackhammering, saw cutting: they can’t happen after 10 o’clock,” he said.

Gleason said a project manager lost track of time one night. The neighbors insisted the late noise has been ongoing.

“If they had stopped at 10 p.m., it wouldn’t be bad,” said Kitchens. “It goes on all night.”

After our viewer recorded that video Tuesday night, she contacted UDOT. She said it was the third time she’s contacted them this year. She did not feel like she had been heard in any of those previous calls.

Gleason said the project team met Wednesday to discuss the issue.

“Everyone on our team understands the importance of being a good respectful neighbor here,” he said.

Crews will stop jackhammering and pile-driving at night, he said. The viewer confirmed it was quiet night, but, she’ll believe in a real change if it lasts.

“We want to be good neighbors whenever we can,” said Gleason. “We try to do whatever we can to minimize the noise. Unfortunately it’s not always possible.”

State law allows UDOT to work all night long. However, they are required to make agreements with local authorities about noise. UDOT officials said, in general, those agreements prohibit loud construction between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.

In Salt Lake County, the health department issues a temporary noise permit that specifies the time and construction activities allowed.