Bellflower : City to Seek Funds for Freeway Sound Barrier

The Bellflower City Council has voted to look for money to build a freeway sound wall near a parochial school, because the city does not want to wait 10 years for the state Department of Transportation to do it.

The city wants a sound wall along a five-block stretch of the Artesia (91) Freeway between Woodruff and Clark avenues to buffer traffic noise for St. Bernard Catholic Church and the 305 students who attend its school.

Caltrans already has agreed to pay for and build the wall, but there is a 10-year waiting list of projects with higher priority. The city approved a resolution predicting that the $2.3-million project could be built within two years with financial help from the county and the state. Caltrans said it will reimburse the city for building the wall when state money becomes available in about 10 years.

“It’s not a promise for a wall. It’s a promise that they will seek funding for a wall,” said parent Melissa Mosley, who has led the campaign for a sound wall the last three months. “But it’s the best thing we’ve heard. At least the city is working on it.”

Caltrans officials have determined that the noise levels in St. Bernard classrooms exceed limits set by law and are now working with the archdiocese to begin soundproofing.