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Construction noise already at quarter past five in the morning, at noon or until ten in the evening: a group from Göschenen puts up a fight.
Actually, it is usually very quiet in Göschenen. The small village in the Urner Reuss valley towers above the entrance portal of the Gotthard road tunnel, but is well sealed off from the noise of the motorway. But since the construction of the second tube started last year, things have been quiet, according to an article in the magazine “Der Beobachter”.
If you want to read a book, even indoors, it’s quite difficult.
“We live about 450 meters as the crow flies from the construction site,” says Sebastian Tresch. He measured the construction noise: “In our house, it can be heard at around 75 decibels.” The 56-year-old explains what that means: “When we’re sitting in the garden, we have to talk to each other much louder than usual. And if you want to read a book, it’s quite difficult even inside the house.”
Of course he understands that a construction site causes noise. Only: “Sometimes the noise started at quarter past five in the morning. That went on until ten o’clock in the evening, sometimes without a break at noon.” Noisy work would only be permitted during the day, for seven hours.
Legend:
Noise is unavoidable: the major construction site in Göschenen.
key stone
He complained several times to the construction management of the Federal Roads Office Astra – without success. Sebastian Tresch then got together with twelve other residents and wrote a complaint. There was a round table – with municipal and cantonal authorities and the construction management. They were promised that the rest times would be observed, says Tresch. “But the next day, between twelve and two o’clock, we worked straight through again.” His collar burst: “Then I went to the police and reported it.”
The Astra is silent
Empty promises on the part of the Astra so? The Federal Office is currently not commenting on the case. It is an ongoing process, it says on request.
On the other hand, information is provided by Peter Tresch, the mayor of Göschenen. He is something between the fronts, on the one hand he understands the complaints of the residents: “I also noticed that in the meantime blasting was carried out at inopportune times. It was foreseeable that someone’s patience could break.”
If a tire loader drives around the construction site at half past six in the morning, then it’s allowed to do that. But when a stone crusher is running, then it’s not allowed to do that.
But Peter Tresch also promotes understanding towards the builders. Of course, “noise-intensive work” is not allowed at certain times. But this term is not so easy to define. That’s why he sat down again with the cantonal authorities and the construction management to define what was too loud and what wasn’t.
And so the population will soon be presented with “a catalog of measures, so to speak”, says the mayor. “So that we can say, for example: If a tire loader is driving around the construction site at half past six in the morning, then it’s allowed to do that. But when a stone crusher is running, then it’s not allowed to do that.”
There is noise now so there will be less noise later.
Peter Tresch is optimistic that the noise situation will improve. He also points out that right now – at the beginning of the 10-year construction period – there is work that will later benefit the village. For example, a cavern will be built in the ground for the concrete processing plant: “So that it doesn’t make corn for 10 years.” It just has to be blasted out now. “That means there is noise now so that there will be less noise later.”
Residents continue to listen carefully
Resident Sebastian Tresch is not completely reassured by this. However, he believes that his ad has already had an effect on the builders. “I could see that some of them kept to the times better.” However, he will remain vigilant and – if necessary – fight back for his rest periods.