Firm Fined for Violating Noise Rules

The cities crossed by California’s newest freeway knew before the digging began that the project was going to snarl traffic, kick up dust and make a lot of noise.

That’s why Claremont insisted that work on the extension of the Foothill Freeway east toward San Bernardino be limited to daytime hours, agreeing to allow the project inside city limits only if work started after 7 a.m. and ended by 6 p.m.

But residents and city officials say contractors have routinely ignored the rules.

“There are guys coming at 4 in the morning, unloading trucks and equipment,” said resident Chris Crawford. “It’s a mess. My kids get woken up every morning.”

The work is part of the $1.1-billion extension of the Foothill Freeway from La Verne to Interstate 215 in San Bernardino. Part of the route, along California 30 from Rancho Cucamonga to Fontana, is scheduled to open Monday; the remainder, including the Claremont portion, is to be finished by 2002.

Crawford, a sales representative for a medical equipment company, has been living with the project for two years; the Towne Avenue onramp is taking a piece out of his backyard.

Crawford’s neighbor, Larry Goldman, said he doesn’t mind the racket as much as he minds waking up with the construction equipment.

“I grew up in Brooklyn, so it’s not that noisy,” he said. “But it hit me: How come I am suddenly getting up so early?”

Goldman’s suspicions and those of the city were confirmed by Caltrans engineers, who examined the project in response to complaints and found work beginning at 6 a.m. and twice recorded deliveries after 6 p.m. Goldman is one of 37 area homeowners who have hired an attorney to press Caltrans for an increase in compensation paid for the loss of value in their homes because the freeway is so close.

As a penalty for the noise, Caltrans fined contractor FCI Constructors $20,000, the second time in three months the company has been hit for breaking the agreement between Claremont and the state. In May, the state Department of Transportation hit FCI with a $10,000 fine, said Michael Chou, resident engineer for Caltrans’ Irwindale office.

The fines may be a small fraction of FCI’s $30-million contract, but such projects are financially risky and profit margins are small, said Paul Roberts, FCI’s business manager.

The company, which reported revenues exceeding $138 million in 2000, handles projects in the Rocky Mountains and Southwest. It has offices in Denver, Grand Junction and Durango, Colo., and Phoenix.

Because of the scale of the project and the number of subcontractors involved, it is difficult to ensure that every company delivering materials knows of Claremont’s restrictions, Roberts said.

“To keep track of everybody who is on site and when they leave is very difficult,” Roberts said.

It is not difficult to notice, however. Much of the new freeway cuts through established neighborhoods, butting up against backyards and crossing residential streets.

“Today there was something that sounded like a train going through,” said Goldman, whose backyard ends against a new 12-foot sound wall. “We’re the second house in, we’re right here.”