North Raleigh Residents Losing Sleep, Patience Over All-Night Construction

Workers are building the I-540 outer loop that will connect North Raleigh to Interstate 40. Nearby neighbors are losing sleep and patience over this road project.

At sundown, crews blast apart a huge rock bed, clearing a path for the outer beltline. After dark, they load up the broken boulders and drive them away in dump trucks.

A quarter mile away, Randy and Sandra McElveen hear the sounds of rocks dropping and trucks rumbling all night long.

"There was one day when I had to get up the next day and drive about 200 miles and I had a hard time driving that day. I could have had an accident and gotten killed, or killed someone else because I couldn't sleep."

Wiley Jones has been fielding phone calls and trying to explain the nighttime construction to the McElveens and their angry neighbors.

"The contractor gets better production throughout the time, therefore their progress is increased. When their progress is increased it gives us the opportunity on time or possibly ahead of schedule," explains the DOT spokesperson.

"If they really want to get the thing done, they could double or triple that, and do it during the daytime working longer hours from six until ten at night, and stop while people are sleeping," says Randy McElveen.

The DOT says the 24-hour construction will speed up the project which is expected to be completed by next Thanksgiving. The late night noise could continue for another four weeks.