The mobilization of the citizens of Verdun, near the Samuel-De Champlain bridge, has borne fruit. Noise walls will be replaced and raised to reduce the disturbing sound of cars along Highway 15 as they approach the bridge.
The story so far
April 2021
Citizens are raising their voices and demanding answers.
October 2021
The SSL group recognizes that the noise exceeds the expected criteria and is committed to improving.
October 2023
No action has yet been taken and the district denounces the silence of the federal authorities in the matter.
November 2023
Revised and enhanced noise walls are finally announced. The work will last three weeks.
“Our goal is really to reduce the noise received and perceived. The panels will be redesigned with a more absorbent material and the surface will be perforated, which will make it less subject to reverberation, in other words to bouncing noise,” explains Martin Chamberland, spokesperson for the Signature Group on the Saint-Laurent. (SSL), responsible for the maintenance and operation of the road corridor leading to the bridge.
As early as October 2021, in a public presentation made to citizens, the SSL group recognized that noise levels “exceed the criteria” in the Verdun sector, along Highway 15, between LaSalle Boulevard and Wellington Street. .
In Quebec, noise levels along highways should generally not exceed 65 decibels, according to the provincial government’s road noise policy. However, measurements taken by residents indicated more than 70, even 80 decibels at peak hour.
This is where a citizen mobilization was organized to demand more mitigation measures. More recently, in mid-October, residents even denounced The Press the fact that no measures were put in place two years later and that no communication was ensured with them.
But here it is: this week, the neighborhood was taken by surprise, when several written notices were distributed at the doors to announce the start of the work. These were launched Friday evening and will continue until December 8, for three weeks.
“We are confident that these new noise walls will improve the sound environment,” indicates SSL in this notice, adding that “monitoring of the performance of the new noise walls and communication with citizens will be carried out in spring 2024”.
1.5m more
According to this document, the height of the noise barriers will be increased by 1.5 m in the central sector, then by between 0.5 m and 1 m on the left and right. Towards the ends of the wall, near LaSalle Boulevard and Wellington Street, the height will however remain unchanged.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY SSL GROUP
Image taken from the notice sent to citizens
For the moment, no intervention is planned on the other side of the highway, where the number of complaints is “less significant”, says Mr. Chamberland. However, other work could follow in the future, he specifies.
Reached by telephone, a committed resident who has lived in the area for almost ten years, Alexis Dorais-Joncas, speaks of a “pleasant surprise”. “We didn’t think it would be before winter and that’s so much the better. What we deplore, however, is that they skipped the step of speaking with citizens,” he said.
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Alexis Dorais-Joncas, resident of the neighborhood along Highway 15, not far from the Samuel-De Champlain Bridge
Groupe signature sur le Saint-Laurent was to hold a citizen meeting before the end of 2023 to inform residents of its action plan. This was ultimately never done for “a question of timing”, maintains Martin Chamberland. “We were a bit caught up in the coming winter and if we wanted to do the work, we had to proceed quickly,” says the spokesperson.
The borough had to hold an “extraordinary session” on November 9 to allow the contractor to carry out work at night and outside the periods permitted by municipal law.
“We also wonder with several citizens why they did not go a little further towards the north and south, instead of building new noise walls. There, it stops dead in Wellington and LaSalle. We wonder if this will really solve the problem at the ends of the wall,” muses Alexis Dorais-Joncas.
Obstacles in sight
In short, work means traffic obstructions. And there will be enough of them to let the teams work. Please note: no obstructions are expected northbound on Highway 15.
During the day and on weekends, firstly, one lane will be cut on Highway 15 South between the Atwater entrance and exit 60. The entrance ramp from Atwater Avenue to the highway will also often be blocked during the day, just like the exit 60 ramp. Rue Jacques-Lauzon will also lose one lane of traffic.
At night, two lanes of Highway 15 South will be cut off. One of the two will reopen around 6:30 in the morning. In principle, it will be the right lane which will remain closed at all times, day and night.