Garage construction wearing on Broad Ripple neighbors - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

A high-profile construction project in Broad Ripple has some neighbors on edge.

"I used to be amazed at how close we could be to Broad Ripple and have it be so quiet. That's not the case anymore," said Jeff Neufer.

Neufer lives just south of the parking garage going up at Wesfield and College. He hears the construction all day long. For the past six weeks, he and others have heard it almost around the clock.

"As late as 1:30 or closer to 2 (a.m.). It was a lot of banking. At first, I thought it was gunshots, which is interesting in this area anyway, but you just hear funny rumbling noises," said Desiree Crowe.

"It's a lot of banging and clanging and, of course, they're lining up concrete trucks 24/7," said Dawn Mathisen.

Wanting to see and hear for ourselves, Eyewitness News went to the site at 1:30 a.m. and heard not just the heavy construction, but also noticed very bright floodlights illuminating several houses.

"It's really not conducive to sleeping at night. The bright lights shine through my window, I've got to put big blankets up," said Mathisen.

While the city's noise ordinance prohibits construction between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., the Department of Code Enforcement's Al Ensley says they grant about 10 exceptions a year.

"Some of it depends on the scope of work, the kind of machinery they're using and how close it is to residences," Ensley said.

The project is pretty close. So why did Keystone Construction get the special permit? Ensley says it was so they could install concrete without having to close roads during the day.

"This one is good until the 28th," Ensley said. "In fact, they asked for an extension after that, but we said, 'No, let's get it done by the 28th."

That is still a week away for those already exhausted by the project.

"Believe it or not, we had a window air conditioner in our room and my wife runs the fan so we don't hear the noise," Neufer said.

Keystone Construction sent Eyewitness News a statement saying they are "working quickly to finish the bulk of the heavier, noisier work at night and expect it to ramp down significantly after early-mid February."

The garage is scheduled to open in March.