"Oracle road gets a little nicer." That's the headline in the March 5 Az Star story about the road widening project now going on south of Tangerine road.
Well--- we must say, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder."
We agree with Saddlebrooke resident Jean Israel as it concerns ADOT's 18' barrier wall. Ms. Israel is quoted as saying: "It's ugly and it obstructs the view."
While we appreciate the massive wall is there to help mitigate traffic noise for the residents, we believe it is a definite eyesore----even though it will be made more attractive prior to completion.
You can read the Star story and see the photos here.
http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/85737/282767
4 comments:
The article says, "Area residents welcomed a sound wall intended to mitigate THE EXPECTED INCREASE of traffic noise in the neighborhood."
I'm confused. I thought that noise studies were conducted WHILE the problem exists to determine if there is enough noise to warrant a wall. Why did they get a wall BEFORE a noise study could even be conducted? Or did the article give false information?
And why is every problem resolved with concrete and asphalt? If we're not paving over the desert horizontally, now we're adding vertical concrete and blocking the beautiful views that we all moved here to enjoy.
Anyone ever hear of trees? Large trees also mitigate noise and block the view of the traffic. And trees are nature's lungs. They clean the air. And shouldn't we be doing things to clean the air if we're going to bring in more traffic? Exactly how will a concrete wall clean the air and help cut down on pollution?
The people who bought those homes KNEW that they would be living next to a major artery. Why should taxpayers foot the bill for this? And don't you just love how we're all paying to have our view destroyed?
Oh and I wonder how long it will take before the wall is covered with graffiti, doubling its eyesore effect. I can't recall ever seeing graffiti on trees.
VC, please read my comment under the stream "Oro Valley Cuts Still on the Horizon" relevant to your comment here as well as in that stream, too.
That is one UGLY wall. And it looks as though they are preparing to place "art" on it.
I'm not a civil engineer, so I have to question whether or not a wall of that size is necessary to decrease noise. I don't think I've ever seen a larger one.
"An ADOT engineering study determined in order to reduce the decibels from 116db without the wall, to a more manageable 80db, required the wall to be the height that it is."
And there is my answer - quote from a previously posted thread.
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