RIVER FOREST, Ill. — Responding to concerns of adjacent homeowners, Metra will construct a sound wall at the site of the project filling in a gap in the triple-track Union Pacific main line between Chicago and Elburn, Ill.
OakPark.com reports that the commuter railroad has agreed to spend $60,000 to construct an “Acoustiblok” wall, which will study the results to determine if the material can be used elsewhere on Metra’s system. A spokeswoman for the homeowners said the material is supposed to lower sound levels from 78 decibels to 50.
Homeowners have expressed concerns about the increased noise level from tracks that will be closer to their home when the project adds a third track from 1.8 miles from Vale, just west of the River Forest Metra station, to Provo Junction, at the east end of Proviso Yard. Construction of the track is now under way [see “Trackwork begins to close gap in UP triple track near Chicago,” Trains News Wire, Oct. 7, 2019].
In response to another concern of homeowners, Union Pacific says it will put up an 8-foot security fence along the right-of-way. Original plans called for some portions of the fence to be just 4 feet tall.
