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ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL — June 1, 2011 14 8.A. I- 694/TH51 Proposed Project (continued) Lexington Avenue Bridge but it is important to note that there will be a pedestrian crossing at this location. Councilmember Tamble agreed the City has done its due diligence with this project and the City has stood up for what they feel is right. He stated he would support Municipal Consent at this time. The motion was called to a vote. The motion carried unanimously (5 -0). Public Works Director Maurer stated Mn/DOT is looking for direction on the sound walls. There will be a total of 32 properties that will benefit from the sound walls. These properties will have a noise reduction of 5 decibels or more. The City will have to commit to $475,000 to cover the City's portion of the construction costs. This project would be eligible for the use of State Aid funds; this amount would be approximately 2 Y2 years of MSA construction funds. Councilmember Holden stated there are other areas of the project that would also benefit from the construction of noise walls and the City is not looking to build these. The west side of the road has more homes that would benefit from the sound walls but the east side would benefit more from sound walls. She stated she is struggling with the costs associated with this project compared to the number of homes affected. Councilmember Tamble agreed that this was a difficult decision. There is no perfect solution for everyone and there are people both for and against the sound walls. The City will have to pay $15,000 per home benefitted by the wall and the wall will not eliminate the road noise. There are a number of homes that would sit above the 20 foot height of the wall and therefore not receive any benefit. There is going to be traffic noise when you choose to live by a highway or major road in a growing metropolitan area. Mayor Grant stated he had spent some time listening at noise walls and the sound does come over the wall. $475,000 is a lot of money for just a few residents. Arden Hills has several highways that divide the City and the City does not want to set a precedent that they will pay for sound walls for everyone. If the City were larger, then the amount would be more manageable for the City. Councilmember Holmes stated the City has had a tradition of being fiscally conservative and with the budget cutbacks, the City understands it needs to continue this tradition. She stated the costs were not worth it for so few residents. Public Works Director Maurer stated Chris Chromy had asked MnDOT to look at different length walls, but there was none more cost effective than what is being proposed. Councilmember Tamble stated the sound wall would have an impact on the aesthetics of the neighborhood.