FDOT asking for feedback on proposed noise wall

A wall could be coming to the area of State Road 70 and Interstate 75 to decrease the noise level from a soon-to-be widened interstate, but that’s if the Florida Department of Transportation gets the feedback and eventual approval necessary.

FDOT officials Jeffrey James and Douglas Zang met with a small number of members of the Willowbrook community Tuesday night at Manatee Technical College for an informational meeting about the proposed noise wall.

The proposed wall would stretch 2,900 feet between University Parkway to south of S.R. 64 in Manatee County. It would stand 22 feet tall and run between the interstate and the power line corridor, intending to cut down on the noise that will result from the widening of I-75 in that area from a six-lane highway to an eight-lane highway. The estimated cost of the wall is around $2.1 million.

Results of a noise-level study showed the average noise reduction for the community would be about 5.9 decibels, Zang said. He added the change would be “definitely noticeable,” but it wouldn’t silence the highway sounds.

“Think of it as the volume being turned down,” Zang said.

One issue that was brought up was feedback on whether or not the community wants a noise wall.

“I have every reason to think they probably will support it,” Zang said.

“We’ve never not built one for any community along (Interstate) 75,” James said.

So far, the 15 surveys returned to FDOT out of 154 distributed indicate that Willowbrook residents are interested in the noise wall.

Using the survey, residents can also indicate one of three colors they would like to see on the residential side of the wall and indicate a preference between two textures. Manatee County would decide the color and texture of the interstate side of the wall, should the project be approved. Photos of the options were presented at the meeting along with a digital rendering of what the wall could look like.

About a dozen people walked in to Tuesday night’s informational meeting. It was disappointing not only to FDOT officials, but residents who did show up voice their discontent.

“It’s very disappointing to me,” Mike Kaduk, who has lived in the Willowbrook community for just over a year, said, though he wasn’t terribly surprised at the low turnout.

“I’ve attended enough HOA meetings to know. ... Only a small fraction of people attend those meetings. So, understanding that, I didn’t want that type of attendance with this,” Kaduk said.

Surveys provided to residents are due to FDOT on July 11. Should they not receive a majority of the surveys back by then, James said they’ll have to look into other ways to get responses the Willowbrook community members.

FDOT surveys are sent through certified mail, meaning they should be signed for when received. It’s the best way for FDOT to prove it has made an effort to reach out to potentially affected residents. However, some at Tuesday’s meeting said their certified mail survey was just left in their mailbox.

Should the noise wall be approved, it would become part of the design phase, expected to be completed this summer. Bids on construction will be sought in May 2018, according to FDOT.

More information about the I-75 project can be found at i75manatee.com.

This story was originally published June 27, 2017 at 8:45 PM with the headline "FDOT asking for feedback on proposed noise wall."