Monument Valley Park Sound Berm
A Sound Berm will be constructed adjacent to the northbound on-ramp from Bijou to mitigate noise for the baseball field and trail in Monument Valley Park. Construction of the sound berm will begin in early 2007 but not be completed until later in 2007 as much of the fill of the berm comes from the Bijou bridge demolition activities. graphic and description of the sound berm (.pdf file)

Noise Barriers
Following federal and state guidelines, the COSMIX Project will be constructing permanent noise barriers to mitigate the impacts of traffic noise from I-25 on neighboring residents.

Essentially, sound barriers (walls or berms) will be constructed in six of the areas identified in the Environmental Assessment (EA) as needing noise mitigation. Noise walls are designed to be most effective for the first and second row of homes adjacent to the corridor and typically range in height from 8 to 20 feet. An earthen berm is designed to mitigate noise to recreational areas.

Noise wall panels will be pre-cast concrete, which are textured and colored with concrete stain on both sides. The side of the noise wall facing I-25 will have a bold and simple design based on the mountain backdrop similar to existing noise walls in Colorado Springs along the interstate. Aesthetic treatments on the resident’s side will be more detailed based on designs picked during the EA’s public involvement process.

Noise Barrier Locations

• Holland Park noise barrier - COMPLETE, 16 feet by 2,820 feet
• Holiday Village noise barrier - COMPLETE, 2006, 8 feet by 860 feet
• Pulpit Rock noise barrier - May 2006 through end of winter 2007,
  15 feet 1,885 feet
• Monument Valley Park Wall for duck ponds, residences - Sept. 2006 - early 2007, 20 feet by 1,060 feet
• Monument Valley Park Wall for the Demonstration Garden - Sept. 2006 - early 2007, 20 feet by 625 feet
• Monument Valley Park Berm for the baseball field and trail - late 2007, large earthen berm, 890 feet
  * Source: Environmental Assessment

Pulpit Rock neighborhood noise wall construction

The design plans for the Pulpit Rock neighborhood noise wall were approved and released for construction on April 27, 2006. Construction started in May 2006 with the clearing of vegetation and debris in the right-of-way, followed by tree removal. 

Relocation of utilities was delayed however until the fall because of the overhead powerlines.  The powerlines are Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) back up feeder lines and will need to be shut down to for construction activities.  CSU will allow us to shut down the lines only when there isn't a drain on the system because of hot or cold weather. Currently, construction of the wall has been postponed until Adelphia (Comcast) and Qwest can move their service lines out of the wall's alignment.  Both utilities were expected to complete this work by mid-fall but the work has not been completed as of yet.  The wall is currently expected to be complete by end of winter 2007.  

A Colorado Department of Transportation representative visited with the neighbors who back up to the wall in late May with a set of the designs to discuss personal property fences.  Essentially, property owners were offered the option to extend their fences out the noise wall, at which point the property owner would then have to maintain the property but the utility easement would remain in place and CDOT still owns the property gained.

Monument Valley Park Walls

Construction activities on the Monument Valley Park Walls will run from mid September through late December 2006. Construction of the walls will require the far right auxiliary lane to be closed at Uintah from September through early January.

One of the walls is located between the northbound off-ramp to Uintah and the northbound I-25 lanes.  The other is split and is located on the east side of the Interstate from Uintah south approximately 1,000 feet.  Staining of the walls will not occur until spring 2007 unless we get warm enough weather this winter.