'You give up your silence': How a Burlington couple hopes to make North Hill a quieter neighborhood

Nestled alongside a bluff at the end of Arch Street, Bob and Vicky Krause's home overlooks the Mississippi River, downtown Burlington's historic buildings, and U.S. 34.

The Krauses purchased the property that formerly housed doctors' offices and Young House Family Services at 204 Arch St. in 2015, Bob explained while standing atop an overlook carved into the bluff, his voice rising to compete with noise emitted by nearby interstate traffic.

They hope the blow of the passing traffic to their eardrums will be softened someday by sound barriers installed along particularly noisy portions of U.S. 34 that pass through residential areas, like theirs. They will be circulating a petition that they plan to present to the City Council, along with a request that the council ask the Iowa Department of Transportation to add noise barriers in its five-year transportation plan.

"The first step for us is to make sure there's community consensus on it," Bob said.

This isn't the first time the Krauses have taken steps to combat noise pollution along the stretch of interstate spanning from the Great River Bridge to the Central Avenue exit.

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In 2018, they petitioned the council to put in place an ordinance prohibiting the use of Jake brakes, a diesel engine braking mechanism that results in jackhammer-like exhaust noise. The council agreed to adopt such an ordinance that November, and the Burlington Police Department worked with the DOT to install signs alerting drivers to the new rule a short time later.

But Jake brakes aren't the only problem, and traffic noise has remained a concern, especially for Bob, an Army veteran and former DOT planner who struggles with hearing loss.

"I'm concerned about losing what little hearing I have left," Bob said, explaining he and Vicky cover their ears when walking down the stairs connecting the sidewalk behind River Ridge Dental to Main Street.

'The only time we've really had quiet is Sunday': Krauses outline the problem along U.S. 34

Vicky awakens at about 5 a.m. daily to be greeted by the roars of motorcycles, engines with inadequate mufflers, semi trucks and other vehicles shifting gears to get up to speed as they enter the freeway from Main Street.

"The only time we've really had quiet is Sunday," Vicky said.

The weekday traffic typically eases up by about 9 a.m. and picks back up in spurts throughout the day, especially in the late afternoon and evening, when the increased noise lasts for about two hours, the Krauses said.

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Vicky took decibel readings of the traffic noises from locations near her home using a three-day free trial of the Decibel X app, which gives the user the ability to take pictures along with decibel readings. The highest sound level she recorded was 98 decibels emitted by a pickup truck.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, damage to hearing is possible after two hours of exposure to sound levels of between 80 and 85 decibels, after 50 minutes of exposure to 95-decibel sound levels, and after 15 minutes of exposure to 100-decibel sound levels.

"What we're concerned about here for the neighborhood, it's the constancy of it," Bob said.

According to the DOT's most recent daily traffic map for Burlington, which is updated every four years, the portion of roadway between the bridge and Central Avenue saw an average of 17,500 vehicles per day in 2018.

That number, and the resulting noise pollution, likely will increase under plans to expand U.S. 34 to a four-lane highway from Gulfport to Monmouth, Illinois.

Vicky said she has gotten used to the noise, only noticing it when returning from trips to their property in Fairfield and to visit family in Australia.

"You're living in it constantly. You just put up with it until you go somewhere else and realize this is the way it should be," Vicky said. "I've lived in Australia and New Zealand and it's quiet. I love it (at 204 Arch St.) because I love the view, but there's something you give up, which is your silence."

'You're not burying yourself in concrete': A possible solution from Australia

It was during a recent trip to Melbourne that the Krauses noticed transparent sound barriers along roadways, allowing drivers to take in their surroundings instead of their views being limited to concrete or wood barriers.

"They're nice, because you still get a flavor," Bob said. "It's not like you're burying yourself in concrete."

"The people still get the view, so that's important," Vicky added. "If you're going to have barriers, why not be able to see through them?"

Gary Neff, who owns the apartment complex at 800 N. Third St. and in 2004 addressed the City Council about putting in place a Jake brake ordinance, said he would be in favor of sound barriers, but noted that a study would be needed to see if they would be effective given the interstate's downhill position from the North Hill neighborhood.

"I have 20 apartments right above the bluff. I try to do what I can to enhance the living arrangements up on North Hill," Neff told The Hawk Eye via a phone call Friday while stationed on a tugboat in Baton Rouge. "You've got a residential neighborhood that sits above the freeway, so it just comes up and hits the residential area."

According to the DOT, the effectiveness of noise abatement beyond 250 feet from the source is limited as sound bends around the top and ends of a wall. That, coupled with the fact that sounds drop off at rates of 4.5 to 6 decibels for every doubling of distance away from the source, results in little noise reduction for homes not directly adjacent to the roadway.

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Neff said he also would like the city to adopt an enforceable ordinance restricting noise emissions from vehicles.

Iowa Code 321.436 requires that every motor vehicle be equipped with a muffler in good working order and in constant operation to prevent excessive or unusual noise and smoke. The law prohibits cutouts or bypasses, straight pipes, rusted-out mufflers and exhaust with holes. The law does not have a decibel limit, but cities have the power to put noise ordinances in place.

"People don't have the proper exhaust that is in compliance with our state laws for the noise," Neff said. "So what we need is a quiet zone."

How IDOT approaches noise barriers: Construction must be feasible and reasonable

For the Iowa DOT to consider noise barriers for an area, it first must determine whether a noise analysis is required, such as in the case of a highway being built on a new location or increasing traffic lanes.

The analysis will determine if a noise-sensitive area, such as a residential neighborhood, schools, churches and parks, is impacted by noise levels above Federal Highway Administration Noise Abatement Criteria of 66 decibels, or if there is a substantial increase in predicted future noise levels over existing noise levels by 10 decibels pertaining to a proposed major highway project.

If that is determined to be the case, the DOT will investigate the feasibility and reasonableness of noise barriers.

A barrier is deemed feasible if it can be constructed without major engineering or safety issues and provides a noise reduction of at least five decibels for 50% of impacted receivers.

Whether a noise barrier is reasonable is tied to cost. IDOT’s current noise policy is, if the cost of a noise barrier is $49,000 per residence or less based on 2017 dollars, the noise barrier is deemed cost reasonable.

If a barrier is found to be both feasible and reasonable, the DOT will take a poll of homeowners in the area. At least half of the residents in the impacted area must indicate they are in favor of the barriers for the project to move forward.

Those wanting to sign or help with the Krauses' petition should contact Vicky by emailing vickyrosina64@gmail.com.

Michaele Niehaus covers business, development, environment and agriculture for The Hawk Eye. She can be reached at mniehaus@thehawkeye.com.

This article originally appeared on The Hawk Eye: Iowa couple plans petition for noise barriers along U.S. 34