Dorchester Road Construction: Too Noisy?

An Ashborough resident had enough of the noise coming from the Dorchester Road construction project after workers kept steamrollers rolling through the night, and filed a report requesting deputies silence the project on the grounds of disturbing the peace. 

The project, which kicked off earlier this year with , is scheduled to be complete in 2013.

Due to the complaint, the construction firm managing the project has vowed to "minimize night work."

Improving the sluggish two-lane road has had a number of complaints, but this is the first report made with deputies requesting the project be shut down immediately. 

Michael Jim Dixon of 101 Fort St. filed a complaint via telephone with deputies about 4 a.m. on Nov. 14, claiming the noise from the construction project was disturbing his family. He requested the project be shut down immediately.

"It's not a matter of loud; it's a matter of what they do and when they do it," Dixon told Patch.

According to Dixon, on Sunday, Nov. 13, construction work on the road began at 10 p.m. and continued through to Monday morning. His house is about 40 feet off the road and he said his daughters were unable to sleep on a school night. 

"All of us were woken up to this construction noise," Dixon said.

Dixon, a former law enforcement officer, was fed up by 4 a.m. and requested a deputy come out and stop the activity since it was disturbing the peace. According to Dixon, deputies were reluctant. The incident report by deputies shows no follow-up action by law enforcement.

"That upset me because I'm paying for law enforcement," Dixon said. "Disturbing the peace means anything that's disturbing the peace."

Deputies encouraged Dixon to take his complaint to the S.C. Highway Department, which he did, leaving a message. Davis & Floyd construction engineer Mark A. Casey reached out to the Dixons. Davis & Floyd manages many of Dorchester County's road projects.

"I returned their call and issued my personal apologies to the family. The noise was due to our night time paving operations which is driven by SCDOT daytime lane closure restrictions," Casey told Patch. "We are making every effort to complete the majority of the work during daytime hours. We will also try and minimize the night work when possible. We apologize for any inconvenience to the public and ask for their patience as we move forward. Again, every effort will be made to minimize both traffic delays during the day and construction noise at night."

This isn't the first time Dixon has issued complaints about noise coming from the construction project or the traffic along Dorchester Road. From loud stereos to incessant worker honking, Dixon has filed several reports with deputies.