Sound Wall Questions Answered

correspondence from Joyce Basciano, president, MoPac Neighborhoods Association Coalition

John,
I distributed your text below to the MoNAC member organizations.
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************* The Loop 1 / MoPac Project Team is getting up to speed. As mentioned in recent news reports, we plan to construct three sample sound barrier walls this spring at the TxDOT Bull Creek facility for the public to see and study. The walls will have a variety of sample architectural finishes. Next year, we will invite interested citizens to join an architectural advisory committee to help select an architectural theme for the corridor.

More broadly, we will begin the environmental review and public involvement process shortly after the holidays. We really hope to get a broad range of folks involved over the upcoming year. As always, we really appreciate MoNAC's interest and "constructive engagement" in this important project.

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The comments I received indicate it's time to get an official status report from you.  Is a general outline, with milestone dates for the tasks of the Loop1 /MoPac Project Team available for MoNAC members information?  They are interested specifically in when and how they may get involved in the citizen review and input process?  Also what are the projected commencement and completion dates for the design, environmental review and actual construction of the sound walls?  MoNAC was told sometime this year that the sound wall construction would start by the end of 2006.  Is this date still certain?

This is a summary of the comments and questions I received from MoNAC members:
1) When and where will the sound walls, designed to demonstrate noise attentuation, be constructed?  Several members understood these walls would be constructed at TxDOT's

Camp Hubbard facility, directly adjacent to MoPAC.  They realize that the Bull Creek location is inadequate to demonstrate MoPac noise attenuation (will that be made clear to the public with signage at that site?), and so are wondering where the actual noise demonstration walls will be constructed. 

2) Several neighbors volunteered their yards for sound testing, before and after a test sound wall is constructed.  The goal, to see if sound is decreased and/or thrown farther into the neighborhood.  There is a concern that if the walls are constructed at TxDOT's Camp Hubbard facility, a rather topographically flat area, that the issue of sound being thrown (uphill or downhill) into neighborhoods of higher or lower elevations won't be adequately tested.

3)  Several members have expressed an interest in working on the architectural advisory committee.  They would like to know when, in the next year, they may begin participating and how many may join the committee.

So, as you can see, MoNAC members are most interested in 'constructive engagement' with your project team and TxDOT.

Thank you,
Joyce Basciano, president
MoPac Neighborhoods Association Coalition
512-454-0207
CC: Arten Avakian, VP MoNAC & Frances Allen, Past Pres. MoNAC

John Kelly’s response to the above:

Hi Joyce:

Our Loop1/MoPac Consultant Team is currently working with TxDOT on the projected schedules for the various phases of work, both for the Interim Proposed Project and the Ultimate Proposed Project. We will need a bit more time before we can provide you a target schedule, but we will be glad to do so as soon as it is worked out. We do appreciate the interest expressed by your membership.

There may be some misperception regarding the sample sound barrier walls, Joyce. They are being constructed to give folks an opportunity to see real, full-size sample concrete walls of varying heights with some potential architectural treatments shown. The sample walls are not intended to test for actual sound attenuation. Actual attenuation values are determined by a federally-recognized computer analysis performed by noise experts that will take into account the terrain (relative height of the roadway/rail in relation to the homes and businesses in the adjacent neighborhoods) and the material of which the sound walls are to be constructed. The federal program (called TNM –Terrain Noise Model) has been calibrated and tested in previous installations in other places in the U.S, so we will not need to do sample installations for that purpose. Concrete of a given thickness and surfacing has a recognized (previously-tested) sound attenuation value.

 

Ultimately, once a stretch of the corridor has been determined to meet the federal "reasonable and feasible criteria" that allows TxDOT to construct the sound walls, then there will have to be a vote of the property owners abutting each stretch of the corridor "for" or "against" the construction of the walls . (Of course, there is no cost to the property owners either way). It has not yet been determined over what length each vote will take place, but it will not be one vote for the entire corridor.

Being an engineer who's somewhat of an "architect-wanna-be", I will be personally involved in the Architectural Advisory Committee. It will be several months before we can get up and running, but please keep a list of interested folks so we can contact them at the appropriate time.

We'll definitely be back in touch soon. Let me know if there are other issues that arise. Thanks!

John P. Kelly PE
Vice President - Major Projects Texas
400 west 15th Street,  Suite 500
Austin, Texas 78701
Tel: (512) 457 7871 (direct)
Fax: (512) 472-7519
John.kelly@dmjmharris.com