MTO nearly finished designing Hwy. 404 sound barriers in Sharon

Yorkregion.com
Oct. 5, 2015
By Simon Martin

The Ministry of Transportation is almost finished its design for the Hwy. 404 barrier project in Sharon.

According to town staff, the ministry will then tender the $7.3-million project in 2016 with construction starting in the early summer.

The ministry revealed recommendations in April to construct a 2.67-kilometre noise barrier along the Hwy. 404 extension, from just north of Green Lane to a point just north of Farr Avenue.

The project includes design work for repairs to girders and barriers on the Mount Albert Road overpass.

Combining the repair with roadwork will minimize lane restrictions on Mount Albert Road during construction, the report said.

After the review is completed in early October, the town and the ministry will reach out to residents to explain the design and staging requirements associated with the construction of the new noise wall.

The province’s recommendation was quite an about-face from its initial stance last September, when a ministry spokesperson told The Express the installation of noise walls would not reduce the sound of tires rolling on concrete by a minimum of five decibels, adding the ministry wouldn’t monitor noise levels now that the highway is open.

The ministry quickly backtracked from that stance after residents and council complained about excessive noise that was affecting the community.