After months of revising costs and settling on a design for the June 2014 reconstruction of Robert Street through West St. Paul, the city must now find out if residents and businesses in three locations along the road want noise walls.
Noise walls are built to shield homes and businesses from the roar of traffic noise. They are common on freeways, not on four-lane commercial streets like Robert.
But West St. Paul will receive a federal grant to help pay for the $16 million Robert Street reconstruction, and with the money comes the requirement for a noise analysis along the route.
The analysis found three locations where noise walls are warranted under federal criteria. They will be built unless 51 percent of the affected property owners decline them.
At all three locations, the wall would provide homes and businesses behind it at least a 5 decibel reduction in traffic noise.
If all three 20-foot-high wood-and-concrete barriers were built, it would add $760,000 to the cost of the project — an extra expense the city would like to avoid.
Now it's up to the 24 affected property owners.
In early April, the city will mail notices of a public information meeting on the noise walls. The night of the meeting, property owners will be invited to cast individual votes on whether they want the wall, but votes also will be accepted for 30 days after the meeting.
