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NYC Looks To Encourage Use Of Quieter Jackhammers

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- There's a reason New York is the city that doesn't sleep: noise.

There are trucks, sirens and, of course, jackhammers.

Now the city is working to change its regulations to make jackhammer noise a little more bearable, WCBS 880's Peter Haskell reported. Under the new rules, construction crews would be encouraged to use quieter electric jackhammers.

NYC Looks To Encourage Use Of Quieter Jackhammers

That news was welcomed by some in Times Square.

"It kind of like reaches the spine, the noise," one woman said of jackhammers. "Petty loud and hard sound that you can't really ignore."

"Jackhammers are definitely the most disturbing (noise)," another woman said. "They're very jarring. It's more than hearing it. You feel it."

There is debate, however, over the effectiveness of electric jackhammers. The company Hilti, which introduced its electric jackhammer in 2011, says the tool is just as powerful as comparable pneumatic models. The General Contractors Association of New York, however, disputed that claim in The New York Times and said anything that slows down construction could mean higher costs.

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