Ohio Turnpike Testing New Sound Walls, Panels

By: Associated Press | NBC4i.com
Published: December 27, 2008

STRONGSVILLE, Ohio -- Noise along the Ohio Turnpike has become more of a concern in recent years as the amount of traffic increases and homes are built closer to the toll road.

But the Turnpike Commission is trying to cut down on the noise, testing a newly designed sound wall in Berea and acoustic sound panels in Strongsville this spring.

Officials from the two cities and other Cleveland suburbs have heard a growing number of complaints from residents about the noise, which has worsened in recent years after a third lane was added in each direction and the speed limit for trucks was increased to 65 mph.

"You can't really enjoy being outside," said Berea resident Edward Caraszi. "The noise is terrible. If I go out to talk to a neighbor, we are shouting at each other."

There's just one noise barrier along the turnpike, built in Cuyahoga County by a developer, said Dan Castrigano, the commission's chief engineer.

The new 1,200-foot sound wall and 900 feet of sound panels are part of a pilot project run by the commission and the Ohio Department of Transportation that could lead to more barriers along the turnpike. The department provided $500,000 to the commission earlier this year to test noise-mitigation systems.

TranSystems, a Cleveland-based private consulting firm, was hired to study and propose new ways to reduce noise along the turnpike. Experts found 67 areas with houses, schools or other buildings along the 241-mile northern Ohio toll road that registered around 70 decibels - about as loud as a running vacuum cleaner and enough to make it difficult to hold an outdoor conversation.

The 70 decibel level is the Federal Highway Administration's standard for possibly adding noise abatement.

For the sound wall in Berea, TranSystems recommended a barrier wall that has an extension over each edge, like a "T." The walls are now used only in Arizona, Castrigano said.

The German-designed acoustic panels in Strongsville will extend about five feet above a median and are curved toward the neighborhood to absorb sound from vehicles. The project will be the first time they'll be tried in the United States, Castrigano said.

A report on the sound wall and panels must be sent to the Turnpike Legislative Review Committee by June 30.

Ohio Turnpike Testing New Sound Walls, Panels

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