Some Lakeview residents living near a major highway are worried their quest for quiet will continue for another decade unless the city funds a $5-million sound wall.
A number of homeowners who back Highway 16 from Circle Drive to Boychuk Drive told a city committee Tuesday that noise from the highway requires a sound attenuation wall.
Several residents said they’ve installed triple-pane windows, stopped hosting friends in their backyard or installed air-conditioners so they don’t have to open their windows at night and deal with noise from semi-trucks and a never-ending traffic stream.
"It’s at a point where I consider it intolerable," said Catherine Sloan, a Wollaston Court resident. "Quite frankly, I’m embarrassed to have people in my backyard."
A city report, presented at the meeting, pegged a two-kilometre sound wall along the highway at $4.6 million.
In the last 10 years, the city has spent $24.6 million erecting sound walls in old neighbourhoods, mopping up a problem of poor design from decades past, the committee heard. Two years ago, city officials put in place a priority system to determine where sound walls should be constructed that rates locations based on sound levels, proximity to roadways and other factors.
The stretch in Lakeview is among the highest priorities of the remaining retrofit sound wall locations in the city, which range from Circle Drive West in Mount Royal to McOrmand Road in Erindale. The problem, however, is there’s no funding to cover the cost of the Lakeview wall or the $37 million needed for other locations in the city.
The city has funding to cover roughly $500,000 worth of sound wall work each year and has been able to leverage money from federal and provincial infrastructure programs to complete work in the past. But there are no programs in place to help pay for the work.
If the city funds the $5-million Lakeview project, the reserve for building sound walls will run a deficit for the next 10 years and no other projects will be constructed, the report said.
"The bank account balance and what’s on our credit card (is limited)," said Mike Gutek, the city’s infrastructure services manager.
A number of residents said the noise is causing them to lose sleep and is affecting their quality of life. They also worried their house value has been diminished because of the noise pollution.
Aaron Adair, who lives on Costigan Crescent, said his backyard measurements peg sound levels from highway traffic at more than 80 decibels.
"We’re just basically trying to get a good night’s sleep and it’s not happening," Adair said.
Coun. Tiffany Paulsen, the area’s representative, said the city has caused the problem.
"We have an obligation to fix it. We literally ran a highway through the backyard," she said.
The request to fund the Lakeview wall will be sent to the city’s budget committee in December for consideration. Meanwhile, city council will consider a proposal to design the sound attenuation wall so it is ready to be built if funding comes.
SASKATOON’S OUTSTANDING SOUND WALLS
Major Road Neighbourhood Cost
Hwy. 16 Lakeview $4.6-million
Circle Drive W. Mount Royal $1.9-million
Circle Drive W. Hudson Bay Park $2.1-million
College Drive College Park E. $1.3-million
Central Ave. Silverspring $2.1-million
Circle Drive E. Forest Grove $1.7-million
Circle Drive E. Lakeview $2.4-million
Circle Drive E. Eastview $2.2-million
Circle Drive W. Massey Place $2.4-million
Circle Drive E. Sutherland $2.2-million
College Drive College Park $1.9-million
22nd Street Pacific Heights $2.5-million
22nd Street Mount Royal $1.5-million
Idylwyld Bridge Nutana $1.4-million
Circle Drive W. Meadowgreen $1.8-million
Attridge Drive Forest Grove $1.3-million
Taylor Street Lakeridge $1.1-million
Eighth Street College Park E. $990,000
McKercher Dr. College Park E. $330,000
McOrmand Rd. Erindale $1.1-million
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