LANSING, Mich. — Sen. Michael Webber and Rep. Ron Robinson last week introduced bills to help residents seeking relief from noisy neighboring highways by making it easier to access sound barrier funding through the Michigan Department of Transportation.
“A formal funding model for sound wall construction within MDOT is needed because the current process of residents appealing to their legislator for special allocations within the annual state budget isn’t practical or sustainable,” said Webber, R-Rochester Hills.
Senate Bill 80 and House Bill 4084 are modeled after a Minnesota law, as it is the only state with a state-level funding mechanism for sound wall construction rather than relying solely on federal dollars. The legislation would create a fund within the Department of Treasury, administered by MDOT, to support qualifying noise abatement projects where sound walls currently are not located.
“This bill would allow the state and local units of government to apply for funds to build out their sound wall infrastructure. This is a commonsense solution that helps local municipalities combat the road noise that affects countless residents throughout our state,” said Robinson, R-Utica.
Webber previously was able to secure a $10 million appropriation in the state’s 2024 fiscal year budget for two sections of sound walls to be built along I-75 in Troy after residents raised concerns about increased noise pollution following upgrades to the interstate that were completed in 2015.
“It is my understanding from MDOT that federal dollars are historically used to build sound walls, but that this project would not have qualified for federal funding because the original I-75 corridor project was already completed,” Webber said. “This legislation would fix this situation in the future and save local residents a decade of time and frustration.”