Construction noise annoyance and its evolution: Insights from the Turcot Project longitudinal study.

This article focuses on a longitudinal study examining how construction noise levels and associated annoyance evolved over four years during the rehabilitation of the Turcot Interchange, a major highway interchange in Montreal, Canada. The study involved 1,409 residents living within 1,000 meters of the construction site, grouped by proximity, who completed repeated socio-acoustic surveys while noise levels were monitored by 18 autonomous stations. Results showed that although measured noise levels remained relatively stable, reported annoyance—particularly among those living closer to the site—decreased significantly over time. Regression analyses revealed that socio-demographic, psychosocial, and contextual (SCP) variables, including perceived noise exposure in bedrooms, annoyance from other construction nuisances, and feelings of safety, explained most of the variance in annoyance, while actual noise levels and distance to the site accounted for only a small portion. The findings suggest that effective noise mitigation policies should consider these SCP factors and residents' perceptions alongside objective noise measurements to better manage construction noise annoyance in urban settings.