TROY, Mich. – It has been months of misery for Troy neighbors whose subdivisions rim I-75.
Ever since the freeway was modernized, there have been non-stop complaints the noise coming off of I-75 was making their backyards uninhabitable, with excessive noise seeping into homes.
A noise study was done of the six sections of I-75 for those wanting to soundproof.
According to the results, only two of the six qualify, and even then, no money is currently available to construct walls.
Neighbors got the bad news this week and dispute the noise study’s numbers because they have paid for a study out of their own pockets.
A bipartisan group of legislators representing the area: State Rep. Sharon MacDonell D-Troy, State Rep. Thomas Kuhn R-Troy, and State Senator Michael Webber R-Rochester Hills, are banding together to, for starters, get money for the two areas that do qualify for soundproofing.
“This is a situation where people who had a little bit of highway noise a few years ago now not only have it seeping into their backyards and throughout their neighborhoods, but it’s getting in their houses,” said McDonell.
Appropriating the walls will take time, but that deals with a small part of the problem, as the vast majority don’t qualify for soundproofing.
MacDonell says it’s clear something has to be done.
“The rest of it, we’re just going to have to see if there are other options, other ways we can get them some peace of mind,” MacDonnel said.
