I will talk to the state about this. Thanks for reporting new Upper State Street President :)

Trees were trimmed along the state-owned right-of-way in the New Haven
area roughly one month ago.  This type of routine but necessary
maintenance takes place on an as-needed basis at various locations
throughout the state.  The general purpose of this type of work is to
improve sightlines, remove overhanging tree limbs (which impair roadway
lighting and can also fall into the roadway), remove  trees that pose an
impact hazard to motorists, and to remove trees that are compromised
(dead, dying or otherwise decaying) that are a potential safety hazard.

This location is already on the Statewide Retrofit Noise Barrier Program
list. This program is 100-percent state funded, and potential noise
abatement locations are prioritized based upon several parameters,
including noise impact and cost-benefit. More than 100 locations in the
state are currently on the list. At this time, the State Legislature has
not appropriated funds for this program.

-----Original Message-----
From: ben@seeclickfix.com [mailto:ben@seeclickfix.com]
Sent: Thursday, February 11, 2010 11:16 AM
To: undisclosed-recipients
Subject: Your friend ben would like to notify you of an issue in your
area

Hi Kevin.Nursick@ct.gov,
Your friend, ben, thought that you would be interested in trees cut
down~sound barrier?.

Hi Kevin,
Could we talk about the tree butchering that happened on 91 over the
past month. Is there a plant to install sound barriers along our
corridor?

Neighbors are quite upset that trees were removed without any promise of
a sound barrier.

Thanks,

ben

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please note: Any replies to this email may be posted publicly to
SeeClickFix.com.

ok...if the state has no money or plans to put up a sound barrier anytime soon and we are "somewhere" on a list of 100...then they need to re-plant the trees...they just didn't "trim branches"...they HACKED and cut down entire trees. There are many multi family homes along this corridor and those families shouldn't have to have I-91 traffic and trucks in plain sight and sound....some sort of barrier needs to be provided, trees or otherwise.

Deanna,
I agree. We need to pass this around the neighborhood to get support from the voters. It is absolutely atrocious that this many people could be disregarded for this long. The Highway has been there 40 years and residents have been forced to deal with the pollution, asthma rates and noise with no effort from the state.

I know Mr Nursick could help us if we can back him up with a collective voice.

The removal of the trees was done at the expense of neighbors who live with them everyday and was a cheap way of dealing with a highway issue.

Trees should be replanted immediately

agreed....let's spread the word for support. It's also worth noting that directly across 1-91 in the EXACT same area of the highway there IS a SOUND BARRIER and it has been there for years...it would seem to make sense that both sides of the highway where residents live and have lived for 40 years would be addressed in the same way...how did that happen?

I agree. Do I hear a joint effort about to start making noise?

i'm glad this issue is getting attention. it is like a broken record- whenever an issue comes up concerning the DOT's actions, it is due to their complete disregard for our neighborhoods' needs.

"no respect, i tell ya. no respect." -r.dangerfield.

Hey Deanna,
I talked to Alderman Lemar over a delicious pastrami melt at Sunrise Deli(shameless plug) this am.

He explained that the DOT has gotten this all approved as Kevin stated but they need the funding approval from the legislature. Roland is running and we should encourage him to run on a platform that includes funding for areas impacted by State highways.

In the meantime, as I'm impatient as you, am curious if we could do a project with URI to plant evergreen hedges behind your house as a start.

What do you think?

I wonder if it would be possible to use hay bales, metal posts, and chicken wire to make a living sound barrier? There must be somebody giving grants for crazy ideas like that somewhere…

I guess they would be straw bales technically; I think hey is used for feed.

Brian, the only problem might be with rats or other undesirables nesting in them since the houses are so close and it's such an urbanized area, but I like the thinking-- I wouldn't mind a "green" barrier.

But really, I'd take ANY barrier, and if Roland runs on making areas adjacent to highways more livable (thanks for the followthrough, Ben), that would be a pretty strong platform plank.

Ben, thanks for talking to Roland and I'm glad he's running! A hedge of evergreens or other URI plantings would be great and much appreciated until the real deal happens....any "green" barrier of sorts would be great. (as long as it's rat free:)

I started to count how many trees they cut down this morning just in my eyesight and lost count...to make it worse they didn't even bother to haul off the debris so my backyard is now a tree graveyard.

Do the trees really block the sound in the winter with no leaves on them? You moved near a highway or bought a house near the highway and probably got it for less then the houses are priced a few streets off the highway. How about you dealk with it and stop @#$% about it. If you ride the merrit pkwy in fairfield they are chopping every thing down for safety and you dont see those people crying and the houses down there are actually worth something. If a tree falls in the woods does someone go pick it up? Deal with it. The state has alot more to worry about then how loud your back yard is

An evergreen barrier planted by the neighbors with the help of URI makes the most sense. The state doesn't have any money right now. Of course this all needs to be cleared with DOT. Any word on why they cut down the trees in the first place?
And yes, as a person further up 91, I can say that the trees do block the sound/dirt/lights, with or without leaves.

A. do you know everyone in Fairfield that lives along the Merritt and how they feel about their trees being cut down?
B. My house IS actually worth something to myself and the others that live in it and this isn't just about "my" backyard....this affects every resident along the Upper State Street corridor as their trees have been cut down too....some have lived here much longer than 40 years
C. I don't live in the woods...I live in New Haven and trees that are cut down in New Haven should be removed
D. The trees do block the noise AND the view and now they are gone

I agree. Do I hear a joint effort about to start making noise?

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Hey Lisa,
I most definitely think a joint effort is worth while.

As displayed by the blocked comment above we have some thoughtless suburbanites that could care less about the impact the highway has on this central artery of New Haven.

Is there anyone with a good camera?? There is a large tree cut down and in pieces behind the Pulaski Lot right next to the fence plus lots of smaller ones...would be great for everyone to "see" the issue.

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Photo of entire tree cut down by state workers

When will workers be returning to mulch this? Has been like this for over 1 month.

This is the mess tgat the state left behind after cutting down all of these trees

Neighbors just did this beautiful planting and this is the mess the state dot left

State DOT came and cut down all of these trees and left the property a mess and garbage uncleaned

The state's lack of attention to this situation is simply unacceptable. Noise is a serious environmental problem that is linked to birth defects, stress, poor educational performance and premature death.

Attached are a few examples of noise barriers that are stylish, durable and highly effective.

Example 2

Example 3

I don't think the problem is whether or not there needs to be a barrier. The problem is that there is no money to pay for it.

In every problem, there exists an opportunity to do something that will make the neighborhood a better place. A big concrete wall may be helpful, but residents can set their sights higher and do something that is more expressive of their personal values.

If these things weren't going to be giant blank concrete slabs built by huge contracting companies by default, you might be able to mobilize more residents (e.g., artists, individuals concerned with design or sustainability) to raise money for them.

I have sent an email to Kevin Nursick.
I am going to ask for a meeting in the neighborhood with him to discuss this along with other concerns we are having with the State.

Did you hear back from Kevin Nursick on this? There are urgent needs for barriers in a variety of locations in New Haven.

Kevin say there is no funding :(

Is there any movement afoot to appropriate state funds towards the DOT's Statewide Retrofit Noise Barrier Program?

I wonder if someone here would have the time to do a straw poll of our delegation in Hartford and see if 1) they support this and 2) if they are willing to push for it next year. I

Hey Mark,
Given the state of the economy I'm not sure it makes sense to push forward with this but I'd be interested to hear what others have to say.

Hi Ben, I'm interested to find out if anyone has the time or energy to do such a poll.

According to Nobel Laureate Paul Krugman, a down economy is precisely the time when policy makers need to allocate funding to a program like the DOT's:

1) An infrastructure program like this creates jobs, which sends some money back into the bank accounts of families and thereby is the only way to ensure that the recession doesn't get worse, creating even more job loss.

2) A program like this helps to ensure that our state returns to a sustainable development pattern (which is dependent on having livable urban centers) instead of a sprawl capital. That is the only way that this country can grow.

These lessons have been proven time and time again within economies throughout the world. Unfortunately, most of our policymakers are hesitant to adopt some of these principles, perhaps because they are heavily influenced by lobbying from multi-millionaires in Fairfield County.

Good point Mark.