Despite living next to the Gardiner, Andreia McLean and her boyfriend Dayo Adebowale said their home is normally quiet. But on Friday night, they were caught off guard when their condo on Lower Simcoe was “shaking” from all of the construction noise.

The pair, who have lived in their condo for two years, said the noise because of the demolition of the eastbound off-ramp to Yonge, Bay and York Sts. began Friday night and lasted until 9 a.m. the next day.

“It was all night. I woke up at 4:30 a.m., 6 a.m., 6:45 a.m.,” McLean said. “I’ve never heard anything that loud before, especially from indoors. It was absurd. I can’t even compare it to anything that I’ve experienced.”

The extension of working hours to involve an around-the-clock operation throughout the weekend was permitted in order for the work to meet the aggressive construction schedule, according to Steve Johnston, a spokesperson for the Engineering and Construction Services Division of the City of Toronto. Work on the expressway, he said, is exempt from the City’s noise by-law.

“A lot of the work had to be done on a Saturday because of safety concerns because it was overtop of Simcoe Street,” Mayor John Tory said on Monday.

A new ramp is scheduled to be completed by early January.

McLean and Adebowale, who said they had been informed about construction in the area but not about the overnight aspect, called 311 at around 1:30 a.m and were forwarded to a non-emergency police line.

“He sounded very apologetic and said they had gotten a number of calls but could do nothing about it,” Adebowale said.

To inform the community about the upcoming work, Johnston said, the city mailed notices to residents via Canada Post, emailed those who have subscribed to updates provided by the city, and hand delivered notices to property managers.