Update: Seems like @SRod17 isn't the only one that experienced the noise last night. Christopher Bannon, who lives "about 100 feet" from the widening near the Custis Trail, tells us that the sound of jackhammers lulled him to sleep last night. He writes:

"They were jackhammering all night - starting about 10 pm. Just as the the cooler nights are allowing you to sleep with the windows open ... jackhammers! I think this shows total disregard for Arlington residents."

Remember the protective barrier that has been going up on the Custis Trail under the Interstate-66 underpass? It's to protect riders and pedestrians from scheduled roadwork on the highway, which is now underway, GGW reports.

Virginia Department of Transportation is going to lengthen the acceleration lane on the westbound side of the highway between the Fairfax Drive entrance and Sycamore Avenue entrances. The "spot improvement," as it is called,  is expected to last until December 2011.

Putting aside Arlington's fight over I-66 and keeping the road to just two lanes each way in the county — these spot improvements to create longer acceleration lanes are an exception — the work could pose another issue in Westover and other neighborhoods surrounding the work: noise.

Most of the work is to be completed at night to avoid traffic delays, according to VDOT. But there are homes extremely close to the highway on this stretch of I-66, and there's bound to be some push-back from neighbors. One nearby resident already experienced the noise and tweeted about it around midnight last night.

Has anyone else nearby started hearing night construction on I-66? If this ongoing construction becomes a nuisance, shoot me a note at racooper@tbd.com with your experience.

View I-66 Spot Improvement, Spot 1 in a larger map