Residents Upset By Sound Barrier Wall, Missing Fence

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Officials are planning to install a sound barrier wall to help homeowners reduce the traffic noise near their home, but homeowners are sounding off about the wall and what state workers are tearing down to put up their barrier.

The area in question is along the northbound side of Interstate 71 between Morse Road and state Route 161, NBC 4’s Tanya Hutchins reported.

The issue is whether residents were notified that a metal fence would be removed to make way for the new wall.

Brandi Parkison said she likes to keep her dog, Vito, fenced in, but Monday morning, he got away.

“(I) came outside, saw this big hole in the fence. No Vito. And here he was … playing by (Interstate) 71 north with all that traffic going by,” Parkison said.

The state is removing a metal fence to put up a sound barrier wall. Parkison said the project has been going on for about a year, but no one notified her or her neighbors.

A worker told her differently Monday morning.

“(They said) that ODOT had informed us that the fences were going to be removed. But we’ve never gotten any letter. We never even got a letter that the walls were going to go up,” Parkison said.

Parkison worries for other pet owners and parents whose children play in their back yards, facing I-71.

“Knowing what could happen terrifies me,” she said. “I panicked. My heart stopped. It was that fight or flight mode. I just didn’t know what to do. I mean, my worst fear was that my dog would not be here.”

Workers told Parkison that the fence belongs to the state.

Below is the response from ODOT about the situation:

"The reason this noise wall is being installed is at the request of homeowners and neighbors. After a series of public hearings, the last one being March 2007, residents and homeowners were made aware of the upcoming construction work.

"After checking construction logs, it was determined that on December 11, 2008, crews were in Ms. Parkison's backyard digging very large holes for the poles that would support the noise wall panels.
On February 3, less than two weeks ago, crews installed the posts, which are 24 feet long in Ms. Parkison's backyard. Those posts were to support the wall panels. Clearly, it was obvious that work was well underway since construction crews had been near Ms. Parkison's yard for the last two months. Secondly, some of the panels had already been installed and were very visible from the backyards of several properties as well as I-71.

"It is also important to note that the wire fence is located in what is known as a right of way, which means it is on property that belongs to the state of Ohio.

"We are pleased to hear that Vito is safe. ODOT urges parents and pet owners to use care especially when loved ones are playing in an area that is near the right of way especially when it is near an interstate freeway system and motorists travel at high rates of speed."