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Throughout the 2025-26 academic year, construction projects have made progress all around Syracuse University’s campus. The construction of new buildings — and demolition of old ones — is part of SU’s broader “Campus Framework,” a 20-year plan introduced in 2018 to improve the campus’s physical environment.

SU is actively building two new residence halls and a dining center at Waverly and Comstock Avenue, as well as new dorms at 544 University Place. To make room for the new buildings, the university demolished Marion and Kimmel Halls last spring, and began taking down the Comstock Avenue Garage in the fall.

“Over the years, we’ve made renovations to residence hall bathrooms, and expanded and improved community spaces,” Chancellor Kent Syverud said in a February 2024 release, announcing the first phase of SU’s strategic housing plan. “But many of the residence halls on campus have remained largely the same for too long.”

As a result, some SU students who live in dorms near the construction sites have expressed frustration over noise disruptions, while others face detours in their walks around campus. Others, however, said the construction doesn’t affect their daily routines.

Sophomore Ruby Swyst, who lives in Booth Hall, said she often wakes up early to loud sounds of power tools and heavy machinery.

“It’s really annoying, specifically some clanging noises (and) repeated banging,” Swyst said. “I definitely think it affects our living situation, and our studying too.”

With the university continuing to build its new dorms at Comstock and Waverly Avenue, Swyst and her roommate, Ashley Brother, said they can hear noises every day from the construction site next door to their dorm.

Construction projects in Syracuse are not permitted to “cause unnecessary noise” between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. Monday to Saturday, or any time on Sundays and holidays, per city code. Unnecessary noise refers to any excessive or unusually loud sound that annoys, disturbs, injures or endangers the comfort of a person, according to the code.

An SU spokesperson told The Daily Orange the campus construction operates during the university’s regular operating hours in order to “limit the effect of noise and activity on students, faculty, staff, and nearby residents.”

“The university recognizes that construction activity can have an impact on our living, learning, and working environment, and we work diligently to minimize disruption to our campus community,” the spokesperson wrote in a statement.

Many students said they wake up early to the construction regularly — like Bailey Apter, a sophomore living in Booth Hall. Liam Talbot, a Watson Hall resident, said the sound of the construction is constant and often interrupts his sleep.

In addition to early morning wake-ups, some said the construction creates a distraction during the day.

“It’s annoying, sometimes it’s hard to focus on homework,” Andrew Brandt, a sophomore living in Booth Hall, said.

Some students, however, said the construction did not impact them, and they were able to sleep through the noise.

“I am a pretty heavy sleeper, so it doesn’t really get to me,” said Watson resident Sheza Qasim. “Honestly, it hasn’t been too big of an issue for me.”

Vice President and Chief Campus Facilities Officer Pete Sala said in a November campus-wide email that the goal of the construction is to “transform” campus while limiting disruption.

SUNY ESF Associate Professor Jamie Mirowsky, who researches environmental noise and air pollutants, said being bothered by construction noise varies depending on the person, as people have different levels of noise sensitivity. Some people are able to study in very loud environments while others, she said, “can’t even read a sentence.”

“It is very common for noise measurements to influence people’s ability to sleep, and also ability to concentrate,” Mirowsky said. “They’re all very legitimate complaints.”

Mirowsky said she was unfamiliar with SU’s campus and spoke about general construction noise and citizen disturbance.

A study conducted in April 2023 by Science Direct found significant effects of construction noise on physiological responses, concluding that people were left more stressed after being exposed to loud construction noises.

In order to complete the demolition and construction, SU closed down a portion of Comstock Avenue that runs from Waverly Avenue to Marshall Street. This resulted in pedestrian and vehicle detours through Ostrom Avenue and Marshall Street.

Brandt said the construction has made his commute to class more difficult due to several road and sidewalk closures.

“It makes me go longer than where I’m trying to go because I can’t use that street,” Brandt said.

SU posted about the construction in an October update and resulting detours in a December campus-wide email.

“The projects will involve some sidewalk closures and traffic detours, though every effort will be made to minimize disruption to campus community members,” Sala wrote in the October campus-wide email.

Despite the email, many students still expressed frustration at the lack of a foreseen established schedule.

“They sent us an email saying it was going to be happening, but I don’t think they really told us when or for how long,” Ava Lopata, a Booth Hall sophomore, said.

Moon Soe, a resident of Watson Hall, claims she did not receive any notifications about the construction schedule — only noticing that it starts “really early” in the morning.

Swyst said she wished the university had put more effort into communicating with those impacted by the construction noise.

“You have to be communicative to the students,” Swyst said. “You’re affecting students who need to wake up early in the morning and need to get sleep.”

Construction updates, timelines and potential impacts are posted to Syracuse University Today and, “when appropriate,” communicated directly through email if the project is likely to cause disruption, the SU spokesperson wrote.

Mirowsky said students affected by the noise should find quiet spaces available on campus, and suggested noise cancelling headphones, white noise machines or apps.

“Even a really loud fan can usually be enough to overcome some of the noise that would be really disruptive,” Mirowsky said. “So there are things that students can do.”

Construction-related comments, questions and concerns can be directed to cpdc@syr.edu.

Published on February 5, 2026 at 11:34 am