Study: East 96th Avenue noise‑wall feasibility met but homeowner support low; council opts to follow CDOT/FHWA guidance

Commerce City Public Works presented results of a sound‑wall survey tied to the East 96th Avenue widening project between Chambers and Tower Road. The analysis followed CDOT and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) guidance on feasibility (minimum 7 dB reduction for at least three benefited receptors) and on reasonableness (cost per benefited receptor and homeowner support thresholds).

Public Works said the technical feasibility threshold is met for many properties (the study identified approximately 122 properties that would experience a 7 dB reduction), but the reasonableness criteria were not satisfied at the segment level. Initial construction cost estimates to install walls across the project area range from $15–$20 million; without cost‑averaging across larger segments, many smaller segments exceeded the FHWA per‑receptor cost threshold of $34,000. Staff also mailed surveys to 161 potentially benefited properties and received 34 responses (21%); of those, 15 supported sound walls and 19 opposed, equating to roughly 9.3% support overall — far short of the 50% homeowner support threshold.

Public Works recommended remaining aligned with CDOT/FHWA standards and not departing from federal cost‑reasonableness tests. Council members asked staff to pursue targeted safety measures (guardrails) at a known curve and to keep the corridor strategy as a living document that can be revisited as land use and traffic patterns change.

What’s next: Staff will notify respondents who left contact information, continue coordination with CDOT on design and mitigation, and evaluate guardrail safety improvements for the curve area; any deviation from CDOT/FHWA criteria would require a formal city policy change and identified funding.