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Grand Avenue Widening Project Environmental Impact Report Section 3.0 a distance of 200 feet, the noise levels shown in Figure 3.6-6 are approximately 12 dBA less; at a distance of 1,000 feet, the levels are about 25 dBA less. The loudest piece of equipment that is expected to operate during construction of the proposed widening would be equipment such as tractors and scrapers used during grading. There are existing residences and a school directly adjacent Grand Avenue that will be exposed to audible noise levels from construction activities associated with the widening of Grand Avenue. According to the preliminary plans prepared by Tetra Tech (2002), the proposed construction activity will be within 10 feet of the fence bordering the west side of the playground at the school, and adjacent to the walls and fences surrounding some of the residential parcels. This means construction activities will be as close as 150 feet to the nearest classroom building face and within 50 feet of the nearest residential building faces. Demolition and construction noise is a short term impact on existing noise levels. Every effort must be made to ensure that excessive noise is minimized whenever possible during construction. Noise generated by construction equipment and construction activities can reach high levels as shown earlier on Figure 3.6-6. Construction equipment noise comes under the control of the Environmental Protection Agency's Noise Control Program (Part 204 of Title 40, Code of Federal Regulations). The most effective method for controlling construction noise is through local control of construction hours. Consistent with mitigation measure N-1, provided later in this Section, construction for the Grand Avenue widening will occur between 7 AM and 7 PM Mondays through Fridays, and between 8 AM and 6 PM on Saturdays. No construction will be allowed on Sundays or federal holidays. This mitigation will substantially reduce short term noise impacts under Alternative 1, but not always to below a level of significance. As described earlier in Section 1.0 (Project Description and Project Objectives), it is anticipated that the widening of Grand Avenue under Alternative 1 will be constructed in phases, based on available funding. For example, as funding becomes available, the intersections could be improved, followed later by the widening of Grand Avenue on the segments between the intersections. Therefore, the demolition and construction for the widening under Alternative 1 would not occur in one continuous time period. Demolition and, construction activities could occur intermittently over a period of several years before construction of the entire widening project is complete. Therefore, potential short term noise impacts could occur over time, as short segments of the Grand Avenue widening is constructed. Therefore, mitigation measure N-1, provided later in this Section, would apply to each phase of demolition and construction under Alternative 1. Long Term Noise Impact Under Alternative 1 The potential long term traffic related noise impacts associated with the proposed widening of Grand Avenue under Alternatives 1 and 2 were assessed by comparing 2020 with project noise levels to 2020 noise levels without the proposed widening. The difference in noise levels between the with and without project scenarios for each segment of Grand Avenue would be due to the increase in traffic caused by the project alone. F. IPROJ-ENMGrand eirlNew Text - GrandWection 3 SplitlSection 3.6.doc Page 3.6-23