Residents win help for sound barriers

Last year state highway officials agreed to build sound barriers along commuter routes in Lexington to muffle noise from highway traffic.

Now it could be Burlington and Woburn's turn.

A push by residents in both communities is getting results. Area legislators are poised to seek funding for sound barriers that would extend along Route 128 and portions of Interstate 93. State Senator Robert Havern, an Arlington Democrat, said he will file legislation this month seeking an $11 million appropriation in a capital bond bill to finance construction.

"The communities deserve some mitigation from the traffic noise," said Havern. "We can't cut down on the traffic volume -- it's only going to increase with time. But we can at least take steps to lessen the noise impact."

While the issue may be a high priority for the residents and local politicians, the state Highway Department lists a number of locations around the state that need sound barriers. Spokesman Eri k Abell said the department state has a priority list of 53 sites where noise is even louder.

Abell said the state has constructed sound barriers in Milton, Quincy, and Wakefield. He said the agency has started the design process for a sound barrier along a stretch of Interstate 93 in Woburn near Salem Street and Albert Drive.

The sites in Woburn and Burlington being pushed by Havern and others are not on the priority list.

Overall, sound barrier construction must compete with priorities like road and bridge repair.

"We are certainly not insensitive to the issue of noise along the state highways. However, it comes down to priorities," Abell said. "We are backlogged with hundreds of bridge and road projects that are also competing for dollars."

Havern's action would mark a critical milestone for people who live in neighborhoods near noisy corridors in Burlington and Woburn. For months, groups from both communities have been lobbying for barriers, which they say would relieve them of incessant noise from the thousands of vehicles that travel those roadways each day.

News last August that the Highway Department would spend up to $6 million to build barriers along Routes 3 and 128 in Lexington motivated the groups to merge and to ramp up their campaign.

Rallies and community meetings were convened. Websites circulated information and progress reports. A petition drive netted more than 1,000 signatures. Another meeting is scheduled for Wednesday at the Woburn Senior Center on School Street.

Chris Bortlik, an organizer and resident of Woburn, said widespread support in the two communities indicates what a high priority the sound barriers have become.

"These communities have been impacted ever since 128 was built," he said.

"This is not just one community being affected; it's two. It's not just the homeowners pushing this, but our local government and Beacon Hill."

Last Tuesday, the Woburn City Council passed a resolution supporting the sound barrier campaign. John Ciriello, a Woburn councilor, said that he and others on the board have heard many complaints from homeowners distressed by the noise.

"It's something that's long overdue for Burlington and Woburn," said Ciriello, who explained that Route 128 extends through the wards he represents. "You can look at the houses and see how close they are to the highway and easily see that something has to be done."

In Burlington, a key endorsement came when Town Meeting passed a nonbinding sound barrier resolution in January. Last August Burlington selectmen signed a letter in support. Burlington's noise emanates from Route 128's heavy traffic, generated in part by the Lahey Clinic, Burlington Mall, and the new Wayside Commons retail center.

Terri Keene, representative of the Burlington contingent, said she and others were prompted to take action because they felt the problem was being overlooked by the state Highway Department.

"It's amazing that with the number of residents in both communities who live next to the highway we'd have to push like this to get something done," she said.

"My house is 20 feet away from 128. I knew the highway was here when I bought my house two years ago, but I knew sound barriers were being built in other communities so I figured it was only a matter of time before they'd build them here."

Other legislators who have rallied in support are representatives Charles Murphy, a Burlington Democrat; Patrick Natale, a Democrat who represents Woburn; and Lexington Democrat Jay Kaufman.

Havern speculated that the noise could become even worse when work on the reconfiguration of the Route 128/ Interstate 93 interchange gets underway. That project is still in the planning stage but the process by which the state is to choose a design has progressed substantially. A public informational meeting is scheduled for March 21 at Woburn High School.

"If the noise is bad now, it's going to be brutal once that work starts," he said. "And when they finish that project we'll have even more traffic on the highways around there. I think it would be prudent to look at mitigating the problem now and not wait until it gets worse. These people want relief now."