Proposed sound barrier to quiet highway noise in Longueuil sparks debate on who should pay for it
Alejandra Camacho and her family love spending time in their backyard in Longueuil, but the peace and quiet can be disrupted by noise coming from Route 116.
A sound barrier to block the noise would help, but the city wants residents to help foot the bill.
Camacho says she called the city when she made an offer on the house in 2020. “They told me the money was there, and the wall would get built. I thought we would get a bonus, not suffer a loss,” she said.
A sound wall already exists, and the city paid for it.
Now, however, it says the project’s rising costs mean it can no longer pay for extending the barrier on its own.
At a meeting last month, the city proposed the 265 residents living near the highway pay a portion.
For Camacho, that would mean an additional $1,800 a year—more than half of her current municipal tax bill.
“Why was the first phase paid for by all taxpayers, and that’s no longer the case for phase two? It makes no sense,” she said.
In a statement, the City of Longueuil said: “All concerned residents can express their views about the proposal on our website. One thing is certain: the city will not be able to move forward without an alternative financial scenario. If the status quo persists, the project will have to be put on hold.”
That answer doesn’t sit well with resident Yvon Fortier.
“Forget it,” he told CTV News. “If it means I have to pay for it, I don’t want it. I’m retired, I want to continue to live comfortably. We also don’t want to sell the house at a loss.”
A decision on whether to extend the wall is expected by the fall.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING 3 injured after man with knife enters Montreal-area mosque
Three men were injured after trying to subdue a man armed with a knife during afternoon prayers at a Montreal-area mosque Friday afternoon.
Teen arrested in New Brunswick after emergency alert; 5 people in custody
A 15-year-old boy who was the subject of an emergency alert in New Brunswick has been arrested.
Police arrest 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole Porsche and ran over its owner
Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.
Woman nearly shut out of mother's estate sues brother in B.C. Supreme Court – and wins
Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.
'We're still pushing hard': Search for missing Manitoba boy continues, RCMP find tracks
The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.
11-year-old boy dies after subway surfing in NYC
An 11-year-old boy died Monday after subway surfing in New York City. He's the fourth person to die from subway surfing in the city this year.
On the trail of the mystery woman whose company licensed exploding pagers
What Cristiana Barsony-Arcidiacono, 49, the Italian-Hungarian CEO and owner of Hungary-based BAC Consulting, says she hasn't done is make the exploding pagers that killed 12 people and wounded more than 2,000 in Lebanon this week.
Top Hezbollah commander among 12 killed in Israeli strike on Beirut
Israel killed a top Hezbollah commander and other senior figures in the Lebanese movement in an airstrike on Beirut on Friday, vowing to press on with a new military campaign until it is able to secure the area around the Lebanese border.
Kamala Harris tells Oprah any intruder to her home is 'getting shot'
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday issued a warning to any potential home intruder: 'If somebody breaks in my house, they're getting shot.'