Construction of a large road infrastructure in a metropolitan area; what can the analysis of community complaints to noise tell us?

Few studies have investigated the association between noise complaints and construction noise. Reviewing complaint data could help better understand community annoyance to noise and help plan future major construction work. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between noise complaints and noise levels, and to develop a tool to analyze the complaints lodged by citizens concerning the rehabilitation of a large road interchange construction project, namely the Turcot Project. A total of 1294 complaints were collected and transcribed by the Ministry of Transport of Quebec between January 6, 2017, and January 11, 2021. A descriptive analysis of the complaints was conducted following an inductive approach. Citizens complained mostly about noise, but also about several other aspects related to the rehabilitation work such as the desire to obtain a specific mitigation measure and dust and particle levels. The number of noise complaints was correlated with noise levels, especially for noise indicators that consider sound levels emerging from the ambient noise. When individuals complain about construction noise, their annoyance may be influenced by an accumulation or interaction with other nuisances associated with construction work. It is therefore necessary to consider all aspects of the source of the nuisance, and the characteristics of the environment and of the complainant to better understand the genesis of community noise complaints and annoyance. Our results can be used by government agencies and authorities to improve noise management during construction activities and reduce community noise complaints.