The Bridge Street construction pounding: what is it, and when will it stop?

On Tuesday afternoon, Jana Tenant was in her backyard in the Bay Village senior community of Watsonville, a place she calls her “sanctuary.”

But on this day—like many others recently—that sanctum was beset by construction noise.

The rhythmic pounding from Bridge Street is from the ongoing College Lake Pipeline Project, a six-mile, 30-inch water main to transport treated water from the College Lake facility in Watsonville to more than 5,000 acres of farmland  in the Pajaro Valley.

The project was slated for completion this fall, but has been stalled by unexpected blockages of rock and debris left over from an early-day landfill at the corner of Bridge and Blackburn streets

Now, workers are using boring equipment to punch through the blockage. The incessant pounding goes on every day of the week during daylight hours. 

Tennant says the noise comes through right into her home.

“I spend a lot of time in my backyard, and pretty soon it feels like this,” she said, roughly tapping her forehead with her index finger. “I can ignore a lot of dogs barking and kids playing. That’s neighborhood stuff, but that stuff is like Chinese water torture.”

Five miles of the pipeline have already been completed. But the snag could significantly extend the completion time.

The boring operation will last about another week, said Marcus Mendiola, Water Conservation and Outreach Specialist with the Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency. “We are aware it creates a loud sound that interrupts that neighborhood and we ask for the public’s patience.”

All of the work that affects traffic should wrap up in November, Mendiola added.

However, the project off of Holohan Road will last into Spring 2025, he said.

This story has been updated from a previous version.