Potential impacts of construction near some Sir George Williams buildings

A downtown construction project, unrelated to the university, could have notable impacts on the Concordia community.

At the start of the winter term, workers will ramp up excavation on Guy Street, between Sherbrooke Street and De Maisonneuve Boulevard. Work will include drilling and controlled blasts. This will mean more noise, more circulation of heavy vehicles and a possible risk of carbon monoxide (CO) infiltration in certain buildings between February and June 2023.

CO gas monitoring

When explosives are used in the excavation process, there is a requirement to monitor CO levels more carefully in case any is released into building basements. Therefore, within a radius of 100 metres, additional CO detectors have been installed.

Signage will instruct building occupants who hear an alarm to leave smaller buildings or evacuate affected spaces in the larger ones. In either case, those hearing the alarm should call Campus Security at 514-848-3717.

Walk with care

The project builder has informed the university that the there will be increased truck activity around the site, notably on Guy Street, between De Maisonneuve and Sherbrooke. Therefore, university members are asked to be particularly vigilant at intersections.

Pedestrians should:

• only cross at intersections
• respect traffic lights
• avoid using mobile devices while walking
• use the tunnels when possible
• never circulate between trucks

Additional noise

There will be different types of noise related to the excavation work. That includes drilling, jackhammering, warning sirens, blasts and the sound of rock being loaded into trucks.

In the case of blasting work, regulations require that a warning be issued first. The warning signal will sound like 12 beeps of a loud horn.

The blasts themselves could feel and sound like a heavy truck going by a building. Because of blast-protection material, the blasting noise may be less significant than some of the other noises, including the loading of rock into metal containers.

Reporting a concern

Montreal city officials are in charge of verifying that noise and blast bylaws are respected. However, if university members have concerns, they can contact Facilities Management by phone at 514-848-2424, ext. 2400, or by email at call2400@concordia.ca.

For emergencies, please call Campus Security at 514-848-3717.