you may remember that i live very, VERY close to the interstate. when i bought this house in the summer of 2003 i was told that the sound wall would be built within a few months.
that was the most inaccurate piece of information i have ever received. we have lived with the noise and the ugliness for 2 1/2 years. i personally don't mind the traffic sounds anymore; i've gotten used to it. but i can see 18-wheelers and traffic jams from my living room, and that's really not very inviting. i've looked forward to the construction of the sound wall for visual reasons. i've longed for it. my heart aches for it.
well, lookee what's happening! actual machinery!
you can't see it? look closer! there are even a couple of real, live construction workers!
saints be praised! this actually might be happening. finally.
i told jill (who lives across the road from me) that when this wall is finished i'm going to run up & down our street, stark naked, doing a dance of joy. and commuters on I-85 won't be able to see it.
Posted by xta at January 16, 2006 12:58 PM | TrackBackWell, er, now you've told the whole internet, so now you really have to do it. And document it.
Mr. Gorbachev, build up that wall!
Posted by: minty at January 17, 2006 12:05 AMNote to self: Just off of 1-85 - right after sound wall is done - video camera.
Posted by: Sarah at January 17, 2006 02:29 PM"Mr. Gorbachev, build up that wall." Tee hee.
And hey, here's something I've been curious about ever since my first glimpse of walls in the DC area: do the right-of-ways on the residential side create a nice little park or walk area for you to use or even look at or grow stuff in? In your case, the right of way would be on the sunny side of the wall, and might make a great place for neighborhood gardening, picnicking, or hanging out.
Posted by: Phil at January 18, 2006 12:47 PMgood question, phil. i have heard that there are plans for some sort of landscaping, though i can't remember details and i can't remember who's in charge. (the city? the DOT?) i also understand there's going to be a bike path that runs along the wall, and connects with the path at washington street.
Posted by: christa at January 18, 2006 12:54 PMI wonder if the length of time your chunk of wall has taken is related to the ridiculous amount of time it's taken them to work on the Washington Street bridge? How long has that thing been torn down, anyway?
Does anyone have any idea how much those noise abatement walls are supposed to help?
Posted by: Joseph H. Vilas at January 19, 2006 10:15 AM