By Nate Jones

Staff Writer 

Commuters northbound between exits 3 and 4 in South Portland can say goodbye to the foliage separating Interstate 295 from the neighborhood between Broadway and the breakdown lane once the Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) begins construction of a proposed 3,340-foot long, 15-foot tall noise barrier. South Portland Councilor James Hughes said the noise barrier has been a project he has endorsed since first joining the council six years ago. 

“You can’t imagine the amount of work involved,” he said. “It has just been a case of keeping feet to the fire.”

The $1.5 million project officially received approval from the MDOT after more than 75 percent of residents completed a survey indicating they supported the project. MDOT Chief Engineer Nathan Howard said any property considered to gain a three decibel reduction in noise was sent the survey, including some homes two and three streets away from the highway corridor. Howard said of the 50 surveys mailed to properties, MDOT deemed in the “impacted” area next to the highway, 40 had been returned within two days.

A cost-benefit analysis of the project, estimated a $30,000 benefit to each “impacted” home has already been satisfied, he said.

 “This analysis is part of the requirement, but it seems we’ve cleared that hurdle,” he said.

Now MDOT is scheduled to conduct a public hearing on the project Sept. 24 to gain public input regarding the design of the wall. MDOT Project Manager Ernie Martin said a similar barrier in Bangor – the only other in the state – was constructed of wood, which is an affordable option for the wall in South Portland.

“We don’t have much money available and economically speaking wood is the cheapest,” Martin said.

Other options include concrete, which Martin said can cost upwards of $60 per foot, and a type of composite similar to material used by homeowners as weather-proof decking, Martin said. 

“I don’t know if it’s going to be super-awesome with the design,” he said. “We like to make it as aesthetically pleasing as possible but money is the engine that drives.”

Hughes said he was confident $1.5 million was enough funding to create a wall that would not only deaden the noise for nearby homes but look good to passing motorists as well. 

“I would be concerned if I thought they were scraping the barrel on this,” he said. “Seems to me like the could get a pretty good fence out of [$1.5 million] without skimping.”

Howard said the noise barrier is just one part of a larger project slated for the section of highway; both the north and southbound lanes will be widened at an additional cost. Construction on both the wall and the new lanes is scheduled to begin next year, Howard said. 

The public hearing regarding the wall is scheduled to take place at 7 p.m. Sept. 24 in the Memorial Middle School Library.