Gurnee trustee concerned about tollway wall plan

Some complaints have surfaced in Gurnee over the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority's planned sound barrier near a village subdivision.

Trustee David Ohanian says the proposed 13-foot wall won't be high enough to block noise from Westgate subdivision homes south of Stearns School Road and just east of the tollway.

Ohanian lives in Westgate, which has a mix of about 375 single-family houses and townhouses.

Work on the Tri-State running through Gurnee is part of an overall $1.3 billion project widening the tollway to four lanes in each direction from O'Hare International Airport to the Wisconsin state line. Additional sound barriers for residential neighborhoods are included in the project.

At a recent public meeting, Ohanian questioned why some sections of the Tri-State Tollway have walls that appear to be 20 feet and higher south of Gurnee, but the 13-foot version is pegged for the village. He reiterated his position Friday.

"We're not getting a fair shake with the sound wall," Ohanian said.

But tollway spokeswoman Joelle McGinnis said the 13-foot sound barrier planned in Gurnee is higher than similar structures in place near homes in Green Oaks, Northbrook and Mettawa.

McGinnis said a noise analysis and terrain are part of the decision-making process on whether a wall should be built. Tollway standards call for roughly an 8-decibel noise reduction for a barrier to be deemed useful to a residential area.

Sound walls are considered for areas where homes are within 500 feet of the tollway, but not for commercial or industrial businesses.

"Noise walls are a hot topic in the Lake County area," McGinnis said.