Bay Park residents upset over ongoing overnight construction

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — People living in Bay Park near Denver Street and Clairemont Drive say they’ve been dealing with disruption from “Pure Water San Diego” construction for about the last month.

"It’s very loud, we have thuds, feels like an earthquake sometimes," explained Sarah Tira.

"All of the taxpayers around here should have a say in when they’re working and we have no say," said Pete Riddell.

Neighbors say detours are causing speeding and safety issues on smaller surrounding streets, but the overnight hours seem to be the biggest concern.

"I tried two different sets of earplugs, didn’t work," said Susan Riddell.

"It’s harder for my boys to fall asleep and because we have our windows open to get the ocean breeze, we wake up a lot in the night," said Tira.

Pure Water San Diego is the city’s project to provide nearly one-half of San Diego's water supply locally by 2035. It includes a system of treatment facilities, pump stations and pipelines and the work being done in Bay Park is part of phase one.

A spokesperson for the city told FOX 5/KUSI residents were notified of the work via doorhangers and flyers and direct contact was made with those living along Denver Street.

Neighbors acknowledge the need for updated infrastructure, but feel left out of the conversation.

"I’m shocked because we never received anything about this nor have my neighbors. Maybe the 2500 block did, but 2500 Erie one block up, we never received a flyer," said Riddell.

The city also says “overnight construction hours in the area were deemed necessary to maintain safety for both the public and construction crews. The work is being conducted in compliance with approved traffic control and noise permits.”

However Riddell points out, "there’s no vehicle traffic because this road is blocked off. Clairemont Drive is blocked off and the end of Denver Street is blocked off. There’s no vehicle traffic and yet they choose to work at night."

According to the city, work in the area is expected to last another four-to-six weeks before moving on to another section.

The city says noise mitigation efforts have been implemented, including relocating equipment and materials away from homes and prohibiting construction vehicles from driving on residential streets.