I'm not sympathetic. I've lived with a lot of construction noise over the past 5-10 years, and yes, it's annoying, but I would never object to a project on those grounds. Cities are not static, and if you want to live in one, you have to accept the fact that there will be construction noise. Invest in a good pair of comfy earplugs, or a white noise machine, or something like that.
For me, it's more painful, because I tend to stay up late and wake up late. Construction usually starts between 8 and 9 in the morning, and by then I've usually only had 5 hours of sleep or so. But that's life! I can choose to move, or to adjust my sleep schedule, or just deal with it! I don't think any of this should give me the right to torpedo useful projects that others benefit from. The people that do are just exceedingly selfish and un-neighborly.
> I would never object to a project on those grounds.
The thing is, it's not a binary. There's a lot of possible mitigation. Noise-absorbing panels can perhaps be placed around where the jackhammers work; or around the first row of residential buildings in the vicinity. Neighbor windows can be replaced with double-glazed ones, reducing noise. Of course this costs money, but it might make the difference.
Another option is offering people to move away temporarily with the rentals being part of the project costs.
Of course this all costs money; but there's a multi-parameter tradeoff, it's rarely just "do it" or "don't do it".
For me, it's more painful, because I tend to stay up late and wake up late. Construction usually starts between 8 and 9 in the morning, and by then I've usually only had 5 hours of sleep or so. But that's life! I can choose to move, or to adjust my sleep schedule, or just deal with it! I don't think any of this should give me the right to torpedo useful projects that others benefit from. The people that do are just exceedingly selfish and un-neighborly.