Sounds of the Night: Round-the-Clock Construction Keeps N. Raleigh Families Awake

That's what some North Raleigh residents are putting up with because of delays in a Department of Transportation project.

Shannon Woods resident Lynne Boyd says they hear the trucks backing up, the beep of warning signals, the rumble of engines. The noise starts every night about 9.

"I have four children who need to go to school, and if (construction crews) need to make up time, they need to make it up some other time than in the middle of the night," Boyd said.

Construction crews are excavating the site, near Highway 50. They have to widen the road before they can start work on the outer beltline. The work is round-the-clock, with time out only for morning and evening rush hour traffic.

DOT blames the late start on a wet spring, but they admit they share some of the blame.

"We had some utility conflicts, such as power lines and underground telephone lines that were not relocated as quickly as the department and the contractor had anticipated," said Shannon Sweitzer, a DOT engineer.

The Jacks family is so worried about increased traffic in the neighborhood that they are installing a security system on their home.

They view it, however, as a temporary fix.

Beth Jacks says the situation is so miserable that they will "probably get out as soon as we can."

Residents of Shannon Woods are also asking the DOT to build a noise abatement wall once the outer loop project is finished.