7A, Noise Wall for 35W & US Hwy 10 - Resolution 2009-021

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DRAFT ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL —August 31, 2009 7 Councilmember Grant clarified that if the City does not pass this amendment then the City would be over budget for this item at the end of the year. The amount that the City is going to pay is not going to change. Finance Director Iverson stated that this was correct. Councilmember Holden asked how often the City is billed by the fire department. Finance Director Iverson stated tat the City receives bills in January and July. The motion was called to a vote. The motion passed (4- 1; Councilmember McClung). 6. PUBLIC HEARINGS A. Public Hearing to Consider a Noise Wall 1300 Feet in Length Along the North Side of County State Aid Highway 96 Between Interstate 35W and US Highway 10 Civil Engineer Kristine Giga stated that Ramsey County is developing plans to reconstruct the intersection of County Highway 96 (CSAH 96) and US Highway 10 (TH10). As part of the process and in accordance with State and Federal Environmental rules, the County has evaluated a number of issues along the corridor. One of the issues analyzed was highway noise. The noise analysis has indicated that highway noise in the northwest quadrant of the intersection has been deemed reasonable, warranted of as cost effective. A noise wall was evaluated at this location as a potential means for mitigating the noise levels. The analysis concluded that a noise wall in this area would meet the cost reasonableness criteria. She provided maps that outlined the proposed noise wall location along with the approximate shadows these walls would create. Prior to concluding the noise mitigation process and pursuant to State and Federal rules, Ramsey County needs to verify that the majority of the property owners adjacent to the noise wall support its construction. The consultant that is designing this project will present the findings of the environmental study relating to noise impacts of the project and discuss Mn/DOT policy. Mr. Jeff Hilden, Jacobs Engineering, presented information regarding the environmental review, noise characteristics, and decibel levels of common noise sources, the noise modeling that was used and the results from this modeling. He also reviewed the State and Federal guidelines for noise and the mitigation assessment for the areas involved.