Neighbors complain of more noise and dirt since a swath of trees along Route 24 in Brockton was taken down. (Christina Pazzanese for The Boston Globe)
Globe Watch
State says highway trees had to go
Neighbors complain of more noise and dirt since a swath of trees along Route 24 in Brockton was taken down. (Christina Pazzanese for The Boston Globe)
Reader Kathy Kenney tells GlobeWatch a highway project near her Brockton home has yielded unexpected and “devastating’’ consequences. She says that a couple months ago, the state, acting on a complaint from a neighbor who wanted some trees trimmed along Route 24 in Brockton, ordered a large number of trees along the highway to be cut down.
“Now we have no buffer from the highway dirt and noise, and the state refuses to fix the problem,’’ Kenney said in an e-mail. “My home is literally 25 yards from the roadway, and the noise gets worse every year. My neighbors, some of whom have lived on that street for over 30 years have seen a sharp increase in noise and dirt recently and even more so now that the trees are gone.’’ she said. “We’ve needed a sound barrier for years, yet we get told the state can’t afford it and that Route 24 is low on the list of priorities.’’
A Globe reporter took a ride down Route 24 last week and saw large swaths of trees on both sides of the highway had been newly chopped down, primarily in one stretch between the Route 27 and Route 123 junctions. For those with the misfortune to live on Rockland Street, backyards were disrupted by a constant stream of traffic that was easily seen and heard through the scant remaining trees.
The state responds
The state Department of Transportation cleared the trees for safety reasons as part of an $11 million highway resurfacing project on Route 24, not because of a single neighbor’s request, spokesman Adam Hurtubise said in an e-mail. The department routinely removes trees along state highways that are dead or diseased or if they pose a risk to obstruct driver visibility. In the case of Route 24, Hurtubise said a contractor has been clearing trees for the past few months on both sides of the highway 30 feet beyond the outer travel lanes. It is a standard practice the department maintains to ensure that vehicles do not hit any obstacles if they accidentally leave the roadway. Every highway has a designated area on the roadside that must be kept clear of trees; the size of that area depends on the road’s speed limit.As to Kenney’s desire for sound barrier walls, the department has two noise abatement programs to help reduce the impact on residents, Hurtubise said. One considers barriers when new highways are built or existing roads are realigned or widened. Since Route 24 is not new or being altered, it is not eligible under the program, he said.
A second program involves putting up “retrofit’’ noise barriers along interstate highways in areas most affected by noise. Interstates are typically singled out for sound barriers because they see a greater volume of traffic, higher vehicle speeds, and more lanes. There are 53 locations on a priority list to get sound barriers, but because it is not an interstate highway, Route 24 is not on that list, Hurtubise said.
Currently, the department’s budget is focused on safety-related projects like bridge repairs, redoing substandard roadways, and reconstructing intersections with a high number of accidents, he said. “However, MassDOT recognizes that highway traffic noise is a quality of life issue for people who live close to highways, and the department has committed to including the consideration of noise barriers as an element within MassDOT’s larger roadway and bridge advertising program.’’
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