After three months of enduring late-night construction noise from the Gardiner Expressway rehabilitation project, a neighbourhood committee in the city’s east-end have “run out of patience” — and the city has agreed to listen.

In a Friday statement, Mayor John Tory announced that overnight construction will stop through the weekend until the city, the St. Lawrence Neighbourhood Association and construction company Aecon Group Inc. can devise solutions to the noise problem.

“It is abundantly clear that issues remain and further action is required,” Tory said, adding he spoke with Aecon Chairman John Beck to discuss residents’ frustrations.

Tory said the company acknowledged that noise from the work taking place past 11 p.m. had become a serious issue.

“I want to thank the community for continuing to raise their concerns about this issue so that we can properly address them,” Tory said.

Members of the St. Lawrence Neighbourhood Association claim they have had to sleep with earplugs and eye masks to cope with construction running overnight from 9:30 p.m. until 5 a.m. most nights since mid-October.

In a news release from the association, Ben Bull, a resident in the area, said his children are finding it difficult to pay attention in school, adding: “We have noise machines, eye masks and ear plugs scattered around the house.”

Another resident, Sabina Sormova, attributed the noise to her oversleeping one morning and missing a meeting at work.

Coun. Joe Cressy (Ward 10 Spadina-Fort York) has been particularly outspoken.

“I have said many times that this kind of construction activity should be limited to daytime hours because it often affects thousands of people who live nearby,” Cressy said in a statement form the summer. “It is unfair and unreasonable to burden local neighbours with overnight construction noise, especially when the project will take several months to complete.”

The construction, which is replacing sections of the expressway between Jarvis and Cherry streets, is part of a city effort to renew the ageing highway.

The original construction notice published by the city said work would take place around the clock, seven days a week, and that this work is “unavoidable.”

The work is scheduled to be completed in early 2021.

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City staff and politicians were scheduled to meet with the St. Lawrence Neighbourhood Association on Friday at St. James Cathedral Centre.

“We are looking forward to the meeting,” Suzanne Kavanagh wrote in a statement released by the neighbourhood association. “We do not want to hear any more words, the time for action is now.”

David Venn is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Star's radio room in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @davidvenn_

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