Province will erect noise barriers along Hwy. 404 extension

Yorkregion.com
April15, 2015
By Simon Martin

Tired of the drone of Hwy. 404 traffic?

Sharon residents could get some much-needed relief, but they’ll have to be patient.

The Ministry of Transportation staff held a public information centre at the civic centre Monday, where they revealed recommendations 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 total estimated cost of the project is $7.3 million, according to the noise study, and it wouldn’t be constructed until 2016.

While not everyone is happy with the recommendation of the study, Mayor Virginia Hackson said the province has come up with a plan to rectify residents’ concerns as best it can.

“While the noise barriers will not make the highway silent for people in the community, it will certainly will diminish the noise,” she said.

The province’s recommendation did little to quell the concerns of Farr Avenue resident Steve O’Mara. He doesn’t think the barrier goes far enough north.

“I’m considering moving,” he said.

Since the extension opened in September, O’Mara said he has lived with his windows closed because the highway noise is too much for him to handle.

He wasn’t the only resident unimpressed with the proposed solution.

“The noise barrier isn’t going to do anything,” Tate Court resident Linda Magee said. “The whine of the road is unbelievable.”

Things such as enjoying dinner in their backyard have become impossible because of the excessive noise, she said.

The only solution is putting down a top layer of asphalt on the highway, she said.

There were, however, many residents who were happy with the proposal.

“We are very pleased with the results of the survey. Our voices were heard and the MTO responded appropriately,” Ward Avenue resident Pat Baranowsky said.

She was part of a group of residents in the Sharon Hills neighbourhood that spoke out strongly when the highway extension first opened.

“We are very grateful to Mayor Hackson for all of her effort in pushing this issue forward for us,” she said.

The study said there was no consideration for noise mitigation with alternate pavement types, as the construction of Hwy. 404 is complete.

The noise study used estimated traffic levels from 2031 to see if noise mitigation was warranted along the extension, from Green Lane to Ravenshoe Road. The MTO guidelines say mitigation is technically warranted if the noise levels are increased to 65 dBA or the increase is 5 dB louder than the no-build ambient level.

While the study said five noise barriers are feasible under the noise guidelines, only the one is economically feasible.

The maximum the MTO will spend is $100,000 per residence affected in implementing noise mitigation measures.

The 2.67-kilometre barrier recommended by the study appears to be longest the MTO could construct while staying under the $100,000 threshold.

According to the study, the recommended barrier represents a cost of $99,408 per residence.

The project will go into the design phase over the summer, with the goal of being ready for construction next spring.

“There will be one more season of noise and frustration. I know it doesn’t happen overnight,” Hackson said.

The province’s recommendation is quite an about face from its initial stance in September, when an MTO 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 made enough noise.

The 13-kilometre highway extension cost $100 million.