It’s been non-stop I-95 noise for some Chester residents ever since the interstate was built in the 1970s. Now PennDOT is installing I-95 sound barriers to give the neighbors relief, reports Madeleine Wright for CBS Philadelphia, as reported at MSN.
PennDOT hopes to build 16 walls between the Highland Avenue overpass and Ridley Creek Bridge in the city of Chester and Chester Township.
The 14- to 20-foot walls would be welcomed by Brian Henderson, whose home is separated from the interstate only by a line of trees and a chain link fence.
“Sometimes we hear the accidents and all that. Helicopters above you and when you go outside on the phone you got to put your finger in your ear,” he said.
Chester city spokesman Justin Tibbles said the barriers are long overdue.
When 95 was constructed they bulldozed right through Black neighborhoods, he said.
Two informational open houses have been held, one per day on Monday Sept. 16 and Tuesday Sept. 17, including information on multiple projects on I-95 in Delaware County.
A virtual open house will be held sometime in October or November.
Additionally, residents who would be benefitted by the Phase One noise walls will have the opportunity to vote on them in October. Residents can vote on the wall design, which ranges from brick and stone wall to mural, historic imagery and artistic.
The $65 million project is state funded. Construction could start as early as 2026, taking three to four years to finish.
Find out more about how sound barriers will help Chester residents at MSN.
