Report: Ramps won't increase noise levels
Published on October 11th, 2006
READING, MA - According to a report to the I-93/I-95 Interchange Transportation Study Task Force new elevated ramps being looked at for the interchange should not cause any noticeable increase in the noise levels.
According to Rich Letty, a senior environmental consultant with Burlington based KM CHNG, "Through traffic on I-93 and I-95 (Route 128) are the major noise components. None of the changes (being proposed by the Study Team) will change noise levels by more than three decibels."
He also noted that no detailed noise analysis is being done at this time.
That type of analysis would come during an environmental review of any plan finally recommended by the Task Force.
According to Letty, the preliminary measurements used for a base were taken from six locations near the interchange. Three of them were taken near the present loop ramps and three others were taken from points along the main highways.
The measurements were taken on an hourly basis for 24-consecutive hours.
"It is fairly noisy in the area," Letty said. "The traffic volumes and speed of travel are the two major components of the highway noise."
According to Letty, perceptible changes in noise levels require an increase or decrease of about 10 decibels. He noted that some normal design factors will act to mitigate noise levels and keep them down. In the case of the proposed ramps that will go below ground level, the walls of the ramps will act as noise barriers and jersey barriers used as sidewalls on the fly-over ramps will do the same job for cars and smaller trucks.
A proposed lane addition on both the northbound and southbound sides of Route 128 would be bring traffic closer to residential areas in Stoneham, Reading and Wakefield. However, Letty estimated that the noise levels would only increase in small measures.
The proposed lane addition would continue the present fourth lane from its end point north of the interchange to a point close to Exit 40. Southbound the lane addition would start in the area of Exit 38 and go south to the interchange.
In a related environmental issue, James Purdy, a senior consultant with Louis Berger Group, the project design researchers, unveiled a three dimensional modeling that showed the visual effects of the three plans, being looked at, on nearby neighborhoods. According to the model, the new fly-overs that are under consideration could be seen from neighborhoods in Stoneham and Woburn. However, the sightlines from nearby neighborhoods in Reading would be blocked during the spring, summer and early fall by the leaves on trees in the area.
Reading Selectman Camille Anthony, a member of the task force, said that people in her community would want to know the height of the proposed ramps.
She asked that the information be gathered for an upcoming informational meeting that is open to the public.
The meeting is scheduled for October 25, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. It will be held at the Coolidge Middle School, 89 Birch Meadow Drive, Reading.
The first hour will be an Open House. Exhibits of existing and future conditions, highway and transit options studied, and details on four highway improvement alternatives, as well as the preliminary three-dimensional model will be presented during this period.
A formal presentation and question/answer period will be held at 7 p.m. This will be followed by time after to review exhibits.
According to promotional information provided by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation, this public informational meeting (the second of three) will give an update on the study underway to examine problems at the I-93/I-95 Interchange (Exit 37) in Reading, Stoneham, and Woburn and recommend ways to improve traffic flow and safety. Both highway and non-highway options are under consideration, and will be reviewed at this meeting.
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