Heard a Boom? Could Be Construction Blasting

Reports from readers had Patch curious about the cause of several loud explosion-like sounds heard in the area in the last week. 

It wasn't an Earth-shattering kaboom caused by an Illudium PU-36 Explosive Space Modulator. However, the explosion sounds might be connected to the large-scale construction going on at SCI Graterford. 

The first one was last Friday, around 1pm. Patch contacted the United States Geological Survey, the group responsible for tracking earthquake activity, but the USGS said no earthquake activity had been reported in our area. 

A second boom was noticeably audible today, Thursday, also around 1pm. Facebook comments from readers indicate it was felt in many of the same areas as last week's boom. 

Several Perkiomen Valley Patch readers also commented on that Facebook page that they head heard similar noise. 

Pursuing a suggestion in our Facebook comments, Patch contacted SCI Graterford to find out if the construction at the prison involves blasting. 

Prison administrator Wendy Shaylor, who answered Patch's questions, said she believes they are blasting at the construction site aorund 1pm in the afternoons but wasn't aware of the details of the blasting. 

"We've been told not to use the back road [around the prison campus] several times around one o'clock," Shaylor said. 

Patch is currently waiting to get more information from either the PA Department of General Services or Hill International, the prison's construction manager.