For some homeowners in Minneola, Florida, a nearby road project is bringing more than traffic improvements.
Near the Citrus Grove Road widening work, Minneola residents said that recurring vibrations have been shaking their houses and sparking worries about damage.
Here's what to know
People who spoke with News 6 said the construction-related shaking has been reaching their homes for at least four months.
One of them, Jairo Rodriguez, said a crack now runs from his home's foundation up into the first floor, and he suspects the project is responsible. He said the tremors can travel through all levels of his two-story house.
"I'm upstairs and I'm like what is going on?" he said. "I feel that fear that something is going to happen to my house."
Lake County said it received its first formal complaint about vibration from the project after Rodriguez reached out. He contacted the city of Minneola in August before reaching Lake County Public Works, which oversees the job.
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The county then set up vibration monitors and measured 0.1 inches per second, a reading below the Florida Department of Transportation's 0.5-inch-per-second limit.
County officials said that reading meant no corrective action was warranted, and they do not expect to conduct more monitoring.
More background
Rodriguez said the one-day test did not match what he and other residents say they normally experience.
"The vibrations were so much smaller, and it only happened for maybe less than an hour," he said. "I'm talking about maybe 20, 30 minutes and it was nothing like it has been."
The project is expected to last until about the middle of summer 2027, so residents may be facing many more months of noise, vibrations, and uncertainty.
What's being done?
Lake County said its active rolling tests were designed to generate the strongest vibrations residents should encounter during the road work.
In a statement, the county said, "Based upon the values observed during these tests, the particle velocities were well below the FDOT threshold. Therefore, additional monitoring is not anticipated at this time."
Officials also said the monitoring period included several pieces of equipment so they could capture the vibration levels produced by each.
The county is asking residents who continue to feel shaking or notice new damage to file formal complaints or damage reports by emailing CR_Engineering@lakecountyfl.gov or calling 352-253-6000.
Resident Samantha Cruz said, "There's nothing I can do about it. Honestly I feel like I can't do anything about it, right? It's construction. It was approved. It's ongoing. When is it going to end is the question?"
Where can I learn more?
Across the country and beyond, residents have raised similar concerns about roadwork, construction, and the effects on nearby neighborhoods.
• In Mumbai, India, residents warned a controversial road project could put their community at risk.
• Next-door construction left one homeowner dealing with infuriating impacts of messy debris and neglect.
• In Alaska, people said the troubling impact of a road project threatened their community.
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