Building a permanent noise barrier to reduce the noise of traffic once the Maley Drive extension is completed would cost between $2.6 million and $4.8 million, says a staff report headed to city council Tuesday.*
That's the estimated costs of building a rock berm and a noise wall barrier. But the report says no noise reduction measures are needed because blasting associated with the $80.1 million project isn't increasing noise above acceptable provincial guidelines.
The report was prepared following a request from Ward 12 Coun. Joscelyne Landry-Altmann, whose ward includes a major section where the extension is being built.
Residents living in the areas are concerned that their quality of life will be affected once the extension is complete and traffic begins flowing in the area. But studies conducted for the project showed the extension won't increase noise by more than five decibels.
“Since the detailed design of Maley Drive began in 2009, two technical memorandums (both dated in 2010) have been completed to study potential noise impacts at specific locations,” the report says. “These studies focused on Turner Avenue and the future development of Montrose Avenue. Both studies concluded that noise mitigation measures are not required for the proposed Maley Drive project.”
For context, a military jet taking off generates 140 decibels of noise, a hairdryer 90, normal conversation 60. And a rock blast at Agincourt Avenue on May 1 created 62.
As part of the project, a new four-lane road is being constructed from Lasalle Boulevard West, near Collège Boréal, to Barrydowne Road. Traffic will access the new four-lane road via a new interchange constructed north of Lasalle Boulevard on Notre Dame Avenue (Municipal Road 80).
Work has begun on the final part of the extension: the area of Maley between Barrydowne Road to Falconbridge Road – also known as the worst road in Sudbury. It's the section that is riddled with potholes and has a big dip in it that makes vehicles feel like it's a small roller coaster. A budget surplus will likely allow for much of that section to be four lanes, rather than two.
When Maley is completed in 2019, drivers in Sudbury will be introduced to roundabouts -- one at College Boreal and one at Barrydowne.
The city's website has a special section devoted to Maley, with technical and other reports on the project.
*An earlier version of this story incorrectly said residents were looking for noise reduction measures during construction of Maley Drive. In fact, they are seeking measures to reduce noise once the project is completed. Sudbury.com apologizes for the error.