Yesterday, we mentioned that this weekend's scheduled Sunset Tunnel track work had been "unexpectedly canceled for undisclosed reasons."
Today, it looks like we know the reason: noise.
The Chronicle reports that residents near the Duboce Avenue end of the tunnel have filed an appeal of the project's nighttime noise permit. The project could be halted until a hearing can be held on March 18th.
51 neighbors signed a petition asking the SFMTA to address the issue of "unacceptable noise" caused by the track work. Specifically, neighbors are asking the SFMTA to use human signals instead of loud backup beepers at night as they haul gravel and other material in and out of the tunnel. They also suggest that Muni could put affected residents up in hotels while the work continues, though a Muni spokesperson quoted by the Chronicle said that solution wouldn't be permissible under agency policy.
The SFMTA is hoping to work out a solution that would allow the track work to resume next weekend. The Trackway Improvement Project began in November, with crews already completing work on four separate weekends. 11 weekends of work remain before the project wraps up, which is currently slated for June of 2015.