Background
J Murphy & Sons were awarded an £18.6m contract to build a new railway station in Soham to reconnect the Cambridgeshire town to the rail network for the first time in 55 years. This job for Network Rail includes building a single 99m platform able to accommodate four-carriage train services, a footbridge across the railway line and a 50-space car park.
Anderson Acoustics were commissioned to undertake noise, vibration monitoring and reporting for a period of 51 weeks for the proposed works.
What we did
Monitoring
Data was downloaded from the monitoring equipment each week and monthly reports were produced summarising the measured noise levels, vibrations and particulate concentrations, indicating any exceedances of the triggers and site action level.
BPM
We also undertook a period of noise and vibration monitoring and Best Practicable Means (BPM) audit for night works.
Vibration Survey
We further conducted an attended vibration survey. The objective was to measure the Peak Particle Velocity (PPV) of vibrations during ground compaction works. This survey aimed to correlate measurements at the closest dwellings with those at a continuous vibration monitoring location at the site boundary. The findings suggested that the use of an 8-tonne roller with relevant mitigation measures would be feasible within certain distance constraints to minimise impact on nearby residential areas.
Conclusion
This case study highlights the importance of careful monitoring and assessment of vibration impacts during construction activities to ensure compliance with safety thresholds and minimise disruption to nearby residents.
