I-90 noise abatement talks move forward with village, tollway

SUN CITY – Residents of Neighborhood 35 in far-south Sun City haven’t given up in their battle against traffic noise from the Interstate 90 tollway.
The residents got bad news a few months ago from the Illinois Tollway Authority regarding a requested sound barrier between the stretch of homes and I-90. However, they have gotten some better news recently from the ITA and the Village of Huntley.

“Anything that can be done to cut the noise down will help,” Diane Novak, neighborhood representative, said. “We are still communicating with tollway officials, Sun City board members, and village leaders. The village people have told me they will try to help us develop some solutions.”

Diane and her husband, Robert, live on Bluebird Lane. Their home is one of several dozen in Neighborhoods 31, 33, 34, and 35 that are affected by the problem.

Late last year, following a meeting with tollway officials, residents were told that construction of a sound wall along the north side of the tollway was not cost-effective and not required under tollway rules, as most of their homes are about 900 feet away from the tollway.

Residents acknowledge that they knew they were close to the tollway when they bought their homes in the last 2-3 years, but they also say they weren’t aware of the plan to build the interchange. This project, they say, has caused the removal of many natural sound barriers between their homes and the tollway.

“Now, the area between the highway and our homes is completely open,” Novak said. “A five-foot-high fence was installed behind the backyards of homes along Meadowlark Lane and Court when the area was originally developed. It doesn’t help to reduce the noise very much. It was meant to shield us from Dhamer traffic, which isn’t causing a problem.”

Novak said the neighborhood has been offered other options that could provide some sound protection. One would involve installation of extensive plantings near the tollway. A second would take some of the dirt removed in the tollway interchange expansion project and build a berm on the north side of James Dhamer Road, next to the Meadowlark homes. A third would involve construction of a berm on the south side of Dhamer, on commercially zoned property that is currently vacant.

“We are still asking the tollway people to do more noise studies, since they only did one last year, and it was on a day when the wind was not out of the south,” Novak said. “We continue to believe the noise monitoring was incomplete.”

To get a first-hand experience of the noise levels, this writer visited two homes on Meadowlark Lane, the southern-most street in Sun City. It runs parallel to Dhamer Road in Neighborhood 35. At the residence of Amelia Felinski, 13335 Meadowlark, the sound of traffic was clearly audible from the rear patio.

“Right now, the noise isn’t quite so bad, because there is a 45-mile-an-hour speed limit near Route 47 because of the construction projects,” Filenski said. “When that ends, it will get worse.”

“I don’t usually go to bed until 1 or 2 a.m. because the traffic is so bad in the evenings up until that time,” she said. “I sometimes take sleeping pills to get to sleep.”

Felinski added she is still considering sound-proofing her home.

“We came here three years ago to be in a quiet place, and we have enjoyed it except for this noise.”

Kathy Matthews, who lives next door to the Filenskis at 13345 Meadowlark, echoed her neighbor’s opinions and experiences.

The residents met recently with Huntley Village Mgr. Dave Johnson, who acknowledged that the village is getting involved in the discussions.

“We have had conversations with the residents and with the tollway,” Johnson said. “Some specific proposals have been discussed. We are waiting now to hear back from the tollway. This issue involves another property owner in the area in addition to the Sun City residents, so we are making sure everyone is consulted and informed.”

Johnson said no timetable for making decisions has been established.

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