The daily 30-minute 7 a.m. blasting session associated with the construction of a new service tunnel under the Lyman Duff Building and Montreal Neurological Institute and Montreal Neurological Hospital (the Neuro) has been shifted to noon, starting Wednesday, May 28.
The change is to help minimize evening and overnight activities on the construction site.
Blasting will now take place between noon and 12:15 p.m. and between 7 and 7:30 p.m. on weekdays. At the moment, blasting is being done in the parking courtyard of Lyman Duff to create a vertical access to the new service tunnel, which will be blasted out over the coming weeks. There should be little to no effect on the Neuro at this point, while some noise and vibration will be more noticeable at 527 Pine Ave. and 3661 University St.
Monitoring devices are in place and, as blasting approaches the Neuro, the situation will be reassessed.
The Safety Code procedure for blasting is as follows:
1) 12 small warning shots at a second interval
2) Wait for a period of 30 seconds
3) Firing
4) Continuous warning lasting 15 seconds to announce the end of the blasting
No blasting is presently scheduled for weekends, but if additional sessions are needed, project managers will provide notice at least a week in advance. Blasting times will never be added at different times of the day, but may only be cancelled at the pre-arranged times, which have been agreed upon by the various parties affected by the project.
The new service tunnel will provide critical steam and condensate conduits and electrical power.
The project is to be completed by February 2015.
For more information on the project, including whom to reach for questions or concerns, please visit this link.