INDIANAPOLIS -- People living in a community on the far east edge of Indianapolis are looking forward to a little more quiet after plans to build a noise barrier to separate their neighborhood from I-70 were revealed.
For the nearly 200 people near 21st and German Church Road who have homes that back up to I-70, the sound barrier will be a welcome sight.
“If I’m sitting on my porch in the summertime, and my neighbor’s next door sitting on their porch and she hollers at me, we have to meet in the middle in the driveways in order for me to hear what she’s saying,” said Dorothy Gruenemeyer.
She and her neighbor, Helen Sims, have lived in the development for nearly a decade. But they say it’s been an increasing issue since I-70 was widened to three lanes.
“The noise is terrible when those trucks go up and down I-70 and especially when they hit the rumble strip. That is loud,” said Sims.
Gruenemeyer started the petition, to show that residents want change.
“We didn’t know the whole story. Back in 2010 they did a survey. Well, we heard they did a survey in here. Oh-no they didn’t. They didn’t talk to the homeowners,” said Gruenemeyer.
She’s been working with State Representative Robin Shackleford and now INDOT is giving the green light to build the noise barrier.
The environmental review and project design are scheduled to be finished next year. The barrier is expected to be built sometime in 2018.
INDOT estimates the preliminary cost of the noise barrier to be around $700,000. It will run from Grassy Creek to German Church Road along I-70.
