Aurora presents design proposals for Orchard Road sound wall, aiming to have final design soon

After more than a decade of delays, the city of Aurora has some possible plans to reduce vehicle noise by next summer for residents living along Orchard Road.

But specific details of the design of a new sound wall along the road remain unclear, and residents still have some concerns, largely centered on safety, the height of the wall and the material to be used, after a recent resident feedback meeting at Aurora City Hall on the sound wall project.

City-hired engineers have recommended constructing a wall using noise abatement material on both sides of Orchard Road, between Prairie Street and Indian Trail. It would range from 13 to 14 feet in height, up from an existing wooden wall that ranges from 10 to 12 feet in height.

The proposal differs from the city’s initial plan to build the wall with concrete.

Designs discussed during the Wednesday, July 29, meeting are the result of a five-month sound and engineering study under a nearly $169,000 contract between the city and Thomas Engineering Group, LLC.

The city plans to have its final wall design out to bid later this year, said Ian Wade of the city’s engineering division. City staff members have previously said that construction on the sound wall project is on track to break ground before the end of 2026.

“Long story short, we’re on the cusp right now,” Wade said. “I think we’ve got a pretty good product, and we’ve got a lot of information.”

Officials said Wednesday there is some urgency to get the project out to bid. Construction plans include taking down the existing wall before starting new construction, and officials do not want to leave the nearby homeowners without any wall for very long.

“This is kind of why we want to start it relatively soon,” said Alderman Carl Franco, who represents the part of Aurora where the new sound wall is set to go. “You take it down, you’ve got to put something up.”

Engineers with Thomas Engineering Group recommended using one of three materials to build the wall — precast concrete, linear low density polyethylene plastic or fiberglass composite.

Residents said at first they felt the concrete option could help improve safety by acting as a barrier between homes and speeding cars. But engineers emphasized that the proposed materials were not equipped to serve as a barrier and that safety along the road would be a separate project.

Engineers also said construction using concrete would take the longest and be the most expensive due to some power lines that would have to be placed underground.

Residents emphasized that they would like to rule out the third option, fiberglass composite, because it is hollow and has a reputation for reflecting sound instead of absorbing it.

A majority of the residents also said they preferred taller walls than those presented by the engineers and requested having access doors on the wall.

Franco encouraged residents to compromise. He said he preferred designs that could be finished by next summer and remain under the project’s $6 million budget.

“I want it done now. I want something good,” Franco said.

Residents at the Wednesday meeting opposed the use of a special service area property tax for the sound wall project, a device used to fund some other capital projects in the city.

The project is expected to get $800,000 in state grants. In addition, a 2024 intergovernmental agreement between Aurora and Kane County has the county contributing just over $1 million for the work.

Franco is contributing around $600,000 of his own aldermanic ward funds to the project. The rest of the cost, roughly $3.6 million, would be paid from the city’s capital improvement fund, according to the city’s 2026 budget.

Once built, the city would be responsible for basic maintenance of the wall while Kane County would do any capital maintenance as needed, under an agreement between the two governments.

Residents emphasized throughout the Wednesday meeting that safety measures along that stretch of Orchard Road should also be considered in addition to mitigating noise problems.

Multiple residents along the road shared stories of cars driving onto their property and causing damage.

“I’m happy about the sound being dampened. I’m thrilled about it,” resident Brittany Charmelo said. “But we have got to be safe on the properties that we own.”

awright@chicagotribune.com