It's been more than six months since a major upgrade of the stormwater network in Macquarie Street, Mayfield, began.
Residents were warned there would be noise, heavy vehicle movements and some out-of-hours work associated with the multimillion-dollar project.
But they were also assured by Hunter Water and its contractor, EIRE Constructions, that the disruption would be minimised.
Macquarie Street resident Alison Ray said contractors told her that the worst of the disruption on the eastern side of Hanbury Street would be over by late April.
Since then she has had to move out of her home four times, most recently this week, for the sake of her health and sanity as the work continues day and night.
"The noise and racket has been unbearable, not to mention the dust, which has triggered my hay fever," she said.
"On two occasions I have had to stay in a hotel. I was lucky this week because a girlfriend said 'come and stay with me'."
Ms Ray says she is supportive of the need for the project and understands some disruption is unavoidable, but she is scathing of the community consultation and communication.
A Hunter Water out-of-hours work notification issued on May 31 advised that work scheduled at the intersection of Hanbury and Macquarie streets had been pushed back to June.
The notice said the work would now take place between 7pm and 5am and June 5 and 6.
Ms Ray said there had been several instances where residents were not advised of night works.
"They worked overnight last night (June 12) and they're working overnight tonight. I've just talked to the guy who runs the traffic control company and they'll probably be working overnight on Thursday," she said.
"But the residents have not been notified. I have just just checked my mailbox and there is no notification there."
Ms Ray said her complaints to both the contractor and Hunter Water had fallen on deaf ears.
"It took me six calls yesterday to get an answer," she said.
"They said they are going to work tonight, tomorrow night and probably Thursday. They are supposed to give residents seven days notice in writing. I don't care if it's a leaflet drop, an email or SMS, but there's been nothing."
"An apology would be nice."
A Hunter Water spokeswoman said the project team had been in regular contact with residents on Macquarie Street since the project began last year.
This included a community barbecue and a coffee trailer event held in April.
"We understand there are impacts on nearby residents and businesses while we carry out these essential upgrades. We are working closely with the local community to minimise the disruption where possible and we appreciate their patience," the spokeswoman said.
"Hunter Water has communicated via letters, signage, face-to-face conversations and HunterWater's website that work will be finished by mid-2024. We are on track for works to be finished by the end of July, assuming weather is fine."
The spokeswoman said water supply had been impacted twice since the work began. The first occasion was the result of work on Macquarie Street in April where damage was caused to an ageing pipe. The second occasion was a nearby water main break that was not related to the project.
A planned Hunter Water outage between 10pm and 5am on Thursday was not related to the project.
