CHOP to put vibration monitors in basements across from Broad and Morris project

The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia has hired a construction vibration consultant to monitor the impact of its Broad Street complex on surrounding neighbors, according to a letter posted on the Newbold Neighbors Association website.

Preliminary work on CHOP’s community care center has already begun at 1700 S. Broad St.. Fencing went up about a month ago at the former library, which will be demolished any day now.

It’s the demolition that worries some neighbors. Starting today, CMT Services will be knocking on doors on Castle Avenue and on 15th and Morris streets to ask permission to take photos of homes “to establish baseline structural conditions,” the letter said. They will also be putting WiFi-enabled vibration detectors in basements on at least one home on each block to keep an eye on the effect of all that racket across the street.

After demolition CHOP will start constructing a pastel, three-story community care center that provides an innovative partnership between the private hospital and the city. The first floor will house a library and rec center, the second floor will have a city health center and the third will be a CHOP neighborhood care office.

For a little more detail on the vibration monitoring plan, click here for the NNA website. And for all of our previous coverage about this project, go to our CHOP Broad and Morris page.