A meeting was held last night at town hall by the Ministry of Transportation Ontario to discuss with residents the installation of a new noise wall between the Victor Road subdivision and the 401 highway.
The plan would be to install a five metre high wall along the entirety of the subdivision as well as straighten out the off-ramps from the highway. The MTO as has plans to possibly build interchange loops onto the 401, as the highway is set to expand to six lanes in the future.
Prescott’s Chief Administrative Officer Pierre Mercier says the residents on Victor Road have been complaining of the noise from the highway for six to seven months now.
Area Manager for the MTO Melissa Buelow says straightening out the off-ramps could also stop hard braking from trucks helping to reduce noise.
Buelow expressed that the MTO is ready to work with residents who may want different specifics for their section of the wall. Different wall colours, designs, and the option to install glass are all available to the residents.
It was noted that the glass in the noise reduction wall that can be seen in Brockville was used as a compromise for those residents who did want a wall versus those who didn’t.
Highway traffic noise levels are tracked every four years. Current noise levels on Prescott’s section of the 401 reach 80 decibels, but with the installation of the noise wall those would drop to 65 decibels, which is equal to conversation in a restaurant.
