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Senate advances $2 million appropriation for highway noise walls in sponsor’s district
Summary
Senate committee report recommended and the floor adopted SB 202, an appropriation (amended to $2,000,000) funding noise walls at priority sites near I‑80 and I‑215; roll call recorded 18 ayes, 9 nays, 2 absent and the bill was placed on the third‑reading calendar.
Senate Bill 202, presented by Senator Ronald Oakey, advanced after members endorsed adding funding to address community noise problems near Interstate corridors.
Oakey said the Department of Transportation had measured decibel levels exceeding acceptable federal and state standards at properties within 15 feet of the freeway right‑of‑way and requested $2,000,000 for high‑priority noise‑wall projects. He said two areas in his district were ranked first and second on DOT priority lists and had endured long resident complaints about noise and property devaluation.
On the floor, Senators questioned whether DOT had completed stamina computer models and decibel readings to meet federal match criteria; Oakey and other transportation committee members said modeling and readings had been done and that they would provide specific figures before third reading. Senator Craig Peterson asked about the modeling threshold (a 5‑dB reduction), which the sponsor said had been applied in the DOT prioritization.
The Senate adopted the committee report and recorded a roll call (SB 202: 18 ayes, 9 nays, 2 absent), moving the bill to third reading.
