The works were required as part of the installation of a new undersea telecommunications cable, connecting New Zealand with Australia, and were expected to take 3 months.

Local paper The Manly Daily reported that locals were concerned about noise from the planned 24 hour drilling works. “I need my sleep. I leave early and work all day. It’s going to be a nightmare”, complained one local resident.

This comes as a stark contrast to the glowing reviews the project received sometime after the project began. One resident asked the contractor when the main job was starting, to which he was told the drilling had already commenced. “Is that as noisy as it gets? We’ve heard nothing- great job”!
Another resident commented that the contractor looked very professional. “There has been no problem whatsoever. It hasn’t affected me, and I live 50 metres away. Life has probably improved”, she said. The project used Echo Barrier around their site to create an impressive noise wall that would mitigate noise hitting the 3 story residential houses on both sides of the road.

Echo Barrier designed a unique solution using a high scaffolding system with a canopy to enclose the noise-generating machinery inside, taking less than 2 days to build. Independent acoustic testing showed the barriers gave an average of 18dB(A) reduction as well as containing the dust and debris from the site. The project manager stated that the visual element of the barriers was a crucial one; it gave them reassurance that the contractor was looking out for the community’s interests.
“People can see they are labelled a noise control system”, he said. This helped the community to understand the contractor has gone to the upmost effort to minimise disruption in their everyday lives.

To read more about this project, contact Echo Barrier at info@echobarrier.com.au and request the Case Study. For further information about us, please visit our website at www.echobarrier.com.au