“It wakes you up in the middle of the night by surprise”: businesses and local residents impacted by work on future line 5 in Montpellier
Businesses and local residents are tired of the work to develop the rails of the future tram line 5, which began at the beginning of June, in the Observatoire-Saint-Denis district, in Montpellier.
"With the noise and dust on the terrace, no one wants to come and eat here." For Christian Carrasco, manager of Planet Sushi located at Place Edouard Adam, the lunch service has become very complicated with the work linked to the commissioning of tram line five and the renovation rails.
The sushiman is not the only one to complain about the noise. The other traders in the area share the same opinion and are calling for a break in work between noon and 2 p.m. "We're just asking to move back one hour. They would have to return to work at 2 p.m., specifies Adile Charif, owner of the Italian restaurant Trattoria.
Last disturbance before commissioning
In the Saint-Denis district – Observatory, work is carried out from Monday to Friday for the installation of the track switches and the construction of the platform. The operation is carried out in the summer to try to disrupt traffic as little as possible during the school year. But this causes nuisance for local residents and traders, day and night. "Once completed, the Line 5 construction site will no longer cause significant disruption to tram line 3 until its entry into service in 2025" , we can read on the tram line 5 website. During this project, the ground covering will also be renovated, particularly at rue de la Saunerie, Place Edouard-Adam, Boulevard Jeu-de-Paume or Gambetta.
The works in the district in pictures. D.R.
"Who would like to eat amid the noise of jackhammers ?"
The owner of the Italian restaurant explains that the noise from the work directly penalizes him. "From 1 p.m., I no longer have anyone on the terrace. Who would want to eat with the sound of jackhammers ?", he laments. The various traders are also surprised by the work schedules. "I have absolutely nothing against the workers. But why do they stop at 4pm?”asks one of the restaurateurs on Place Edouard Adam.
For Jeremie Chauvry, manager of Café Paume and also a resident of the place, the work impacts his entire day. "From the morning at 7 a.m. morning, it sends the jackhammer, it's not possible", he laments, pointing to the work truck right next to his terrace. The three restaurateurs each estimate their drop in attendance at around 40% since the start of the work and fear that the work will shift to the evening during the summer. "A little further up on Boulevard du Jeu de Paume, they work in the evening. This must not happen here."
This situation is specific to Place Edouard Adam."The planning mobilizes heavier equipment and a single team, instead of working in two batches of 8 h", details the metropolis . "It’is not possible to further reduce the time slot of the construction site without extending the deadlines, nor further spreading out the workers' day".< /em>
Local residents who can't sleep
The traders in the Observatory district are not the only ones to be bothered by the work on the tram rails. The residents of rue André Michel also bear the brunt of the operation, particularly at night.
This is the case of Daniele Gentile, resident on the street since 2019, who experienced sleepless nights because of the noise pollution caused by the work. "Imagine a grinder at three in the morning, it even makes the building vibrate", he says. The 48-year-old man explains that the work is not carried out at regular times. "It can start at any time and it wakes you up in the middle of the night by surprise", confides the resident who also explains having achieved several sleepless nights.
For its part, the metropolis explains that night interventions are scheduled for "technical and operational reasons", in particular so as not to interrupt traffic or to carry out rail welding which cannot be carried out with the temperatures of the day. Four deliveries by exceptional convoy (measuring more than 20 meters) are also planned at night between June and July so as not to hinder traffic. Finally, the community teams announce that they are in contact with merchant and local residents' associations to be able to respond to difficulties.
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