Liverpool residents who live in heavy traffic corridor in the Town of Clay say they’re already faced with constant traffic noise without Micron and want the State DOT to install highway sound barrier walls now. Pinegate North residents say the constant traffic noise from Route 31, Soule Road and Interstate 481 impacts their quality of life. Martin Kostadinov who created an online petition for sound barrier walls has lived there for 26 years.
“When we moved here the only thing that was on Route 31 is Great Northern Mall on the other side. On our side here there was Wegmans, Chase Pitkin, Walmart and Sam’s Club. That was it; the rest was farm fields. So, ever since the development came, Raymour and Flannigan and everything else that followed along. The noise is just horrendous.”
Kostadinov says a new traffic light on Soule Road is also adding more traffic noise into the mix. He demonstrated by opening his bedroom window to demonstrate the loud traffic noise.
“Summertime people will want to open up their windows to sleep with their windows open. You can’t.”
The traffic racket outside is the reason Kostadinov says he and his wife wear earplugs to be able to sleep and have to raise their voices in their backyard to hear themselves and guests. Another Pinegate resident Michael Hunter described what the noise is typically like at his house.
“Being right near the onramp, there’s a lot of acceleration that occurs right in that area. So you hear people really getting on the gas as you were getting onto the highway to get up to speed. Motorcycles, you can especially hear them revving their engines as they get going on the highway. Tractor trailers you can hear them pumping airbrakes as they’re getting to that merge point where the onramp gets onto Interstate 481, right near us here off Soule Road.”
On the other side of Soule Road, residents with yards that backup to Interstate 481 sounds even louder. Luigi Dellecamelie moved to the area from New York City about a year ago. He estimates his home is about 70 feet away from the highway and is in support of the petition.
“I’ve seen a lot of parts of I-81 and I-481 and I don’t see why they wouldn’t here.”
Rebecca Temple lives on Burning Tree Road and says the traffic noise has only gotten worse since she moved there with her husband in 2004.
“Sleeping is definitely, even with a very loud fan on, you can still hear the traffic. And we can’t ever sleep with the windows open like with fresh air in the summer or anything cause it’s just too loud.”
Residents we spoke with say they’re concerned if something isn’t done now, the noise nuisance that already negatively impacts their way of life will eventually become even more unbearable. Rebecca Temple lives on Burning Tree Road and says the traffic noise has only gotten worse since she moved there with her husband in 2004. The online petition can be found here. In a statement from the State DOT, there are no current plans for noise barriers along that stretch of Interstate 481. However, it goes on to say it continually monitors conditions and could revisit the matter, if a major project is identified in that area.