Noise Along the Railroad: Residents Hear About Reduction Options

There’s a new railroad coming to town, and that means a hefty increase in train traffic, and subsequent spikes in noise affecting residents living around the tracks.

Canadian National (CN) Railroad recently acquired Elgin, Joliet and Eastern (EJ&E) Railroad, and along with the purchase is an expected quadruple increase in the number of trains travelling through town.

The Village of Lake Zurich held a public meeting for those affected and impacted residents on Tuesday night at Village Hall. The roughly 25 citizens who attended the update on the Noise Mitigation Study Along the EJ&E Railroad (CN) were provided with information on mitigation proposals, as well as a future opportunity to democratically vote on the solution to the problem.

Administrator Bob Vitas, Public Works Director David Heyden, and representatives from consulting firms Huff and Huff and the Ciorba Group were present at the meeting to update residents on noise mitigation options.

CN Railroad awarded the village $1.3 million toward noise mitigation efforts, and after some tough negotiations, the village was able obtain an additional $600,000 to help more residents reduce the impact of more noise.

“In the original cost estimate, CN looked at the three affected areas,” said Heyden.  “We came back and argued that they would be affecting more areas, and got a $600,000 increase in funds.”

The railroad is required to address the increase in noise levels and to provide safety fencing at Lake Zurich High School and May Whitney Elementary where students oftentimes cross the railroad tracks.

Four different areas in Lake Zurich were determined to be impacted by the imminent increase in train traffic and resulting noise on the railroad.

Area A is along the railroad north of Oakwood Road and includes Wicklow Village.  Area B is north to Main Street and Route 22 and affects District 95, as well as residents in Carolyn Court and the Landings Apartments, said David Heyden, director of public works.

Heyden added that Concord Village and Terrace Lane Townhomes are in Area C which is north of Rand Road and Area D is north of Cuba Road and includes the Braemar Subdivision.

There are also four potential noise mitigation options that are being considred, and residents in the four separate areas will be able to vote for the option they want.

The possibilities spelled out for residents included sound barriers, sight screens/fencing, dense landscaping or building insulation.   

Both sight screens/fencing and dense landscaping would have little to no effect on noise, but both could serve to improve the aesthetic of the most heavily impacted areas by reducing sight of trains, said Mark Johnson, a consultant with Ciorba Group.

Aesthetics would most definitely be affected by 10-to-15-foot sound barrier walls, if that is the option that is chosen by residents.

Sound barriers and building insulation/soundproofing appear to be the two main choices for residents, as the increase in train traffic is expected to be evident over the next year and a half.

The barriers would be walls made of wood or concrete that could be constructed either on private property or on the property of the railroad, known as railroad ROW, said Johnson.

According to Johnson, the barriers produce a noise reduction of five to ten decibels and stretch up to 250 feet behind the wall.

“The height of (noise) walls would be different depending on where the railroad tracks are in relation to the property,” said Tony Wolff, a civil engineer with the Ciorba Group.

Wolff said resident properties that have natural berms which reduce noise would not need as high of a barrier wall as a residence that is more level with the tracks.  

The walls would be located along the right of way, and could require the removal of trees on residential properties, said Johnson.

Consultant Tim Kelly from Huff and Huff, who is assessing the different effects of sound mitigation efforts, illustrated an example of the effects of a noise wall for those in attendance.

“We assessed  a train event, and on approach the noise reached 50-to-60-decibels, the peak was 100 decibels which lasted less than a minute and then wheel noise, which was the majority of the event reached 80 to 90 decibels,” said Kelly.

The total ‘train event’ last five-to-six-minutes.

“Mitigation efforts that reduce noise by five decibels are ‘readily perceptible’ while reducing sound by ten decibels will decrease noise by half,” Kelly added.

The sound walls, depending on their height which could reach as high as 15 feet, could reduce a maximum of eight decibels of noise, which was extremely noticeable in a demonstration Kelly conducted for the audience.

Kelly depicted a five decibel reduction in noise compared to an eight decibel decrease, and when residents were asked to raise their hands to communicate the difference between the two; an overwhelming majority considered the eight decibel reduction ‘better.’

Replacing windows, caulking and sealing gaps and adding insulation are all part of soundproofing as a potential solution, and they could all be feasible solutions, said Johnson.  

He added that residents would need to keep their windows closed though, as it would only reduce levels in the interior of homes, with a reduction of five-to-20-decibels.

Residents don’t appear to be completely sold on any one idea, and concerns and questions over which method is best will continue until a decision is reached.

“I have a lot more questions; a sound barrier would be good but what would that mean when you want to sell your property?” Asked Laurie Wilhoit, a Braemar resident.

Residents living within the same subdivision have varying opinions on what, if anything should be done.

“I don’t mind the train, it’s already here, and a sound wall would really ruin the aesthetic of our view; our window would be facing a giant wall,” said Jennifer Haskell, Concord Village resident.

“For me, I can’t sleep, it’s like a tornado or an airplane is hitting my house,” said Donna Mazurkiewicz, resident of Concord Village and president of the homeowner’s association.

“I need something to help with the noise, and I don’t want to see a train,” Mazurkiewicz added.

“I would consider building insulation/soundproofing; that would be my first choice, but my gut tells me that the cost would exceed what it would take to construct a noise wall,” said Patty Cameron, also a Concord Village resident and a board member of the homeowner’s association.

Other residents who are arguably also affected weren't classified as affected or impacted by the study conducted by CN.

“We are within 100 feet of the railroad tracks; we are concerned because our neighborhood isn’t considered to be affected; our house shutters when the trains go by, if others are considered, why can’t we be considered?” Mary Joy asked, a resident who lives on Park Avenue around 100 feet from the train tracks.

“I wouldn’t count you out, no decisions have been made on what’s going to happen where,” said Vitas.   

Toward the end of the meeting, residents expressed concern over whether $1.9 million in funds could cover the proposed mitigation efforts so that all affected residents would have some sort of defense against the increase in noise.

Vitas said the revenue from the non-home rule sales tax increase could potentially go toward the project, due to it being a capital improvement project.

Residents who attended the public meeting were asked to rank the four options on a scale from one to four, with one being the most favorable choice.

Heyden said he will be working in the coming days to mail surveys to all residents living in the impacted areas to gauge where the majority opinions lie.

The village and the consultants will be meeting separately with residents living in the four different areas to determine what each of their votes are on how to address the noise issue.

Heyden added that the village needs to receive the surveys back by Tuesday, April 12 so consultants can gather information and begin to move on to Phase 2, which would include a cost estimate and design of the project.  

In Phase 3, construction of the chosen noise mitigation option is projected to begin in 2012 and would last for two construction seasons, said Johnson.

“If 51 percent of residents want the wall, they will get it.  If 51 percent want soundproofing and new windows, than that is what they will get,” said Heyden.