January 19, 2006
Ms . Dorothy Gunn
Illinois Pollution Control Board
100 West Randolph
Suite 11-500
Chicago, Illinois 60601
RE :
Petrosius v
. Illinois Tollway PCB 04-36
Dear Ms. Gunn :
Please add the enclosed letters to the Public Comment file on the above
referenced case
. Thank you .
Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at
the 312-944-8200 .
Since fy,
S ott Dwors ak
Attorney at Law
Enc. Decker
Klema
Law Offices of Scott Dworschak
1 343 North Wells
Chicago, Illinois 60610
312-944-8200-fax 312-944-8227
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To :
Members of the Pollution Control Board
From
:
Dr. & Mrs. Glenn A Decker
10211 5th Avenue Cutoff
Countryside, IL, 60525
Date
:
December 4, 2005
Subject
: Excessive Noise Levels Associated with 1-294 Tollway
Our property sits in a very nice wooded area along the 5th avenue cutoff, with a toll
booth on the other side of my back fence
. Large trucks from the United Parcel Service
plant across the 1-294 tollway regularly use this toll booth and frequently use engine brak-
ing as they approach it
.
The entire tollway is elevated along this stretch, broadcasting
noise directly onto all of the properties along our road
. This has affected our quality of life
in a number of ways.
First, it is impossible to carry on a normal conversation anywhere on the property
without shouting to be heard over the din
. I believe a professional study of the noise lev-
els experienced in our neighborhood has been conducted and the measured levels have
been deemed to be excessive
. This is certainly in accordance with our experience, how-
ever the noise level on our property likely exceeds the levels described in the report due
to our proximity to the toll booth
Second, we must keep our windows closed even during the most pleasant days of the
year to block the noise
. We have had to move our bedroom to the front dining room to
get away from the racket, which is only slightly reduced in comparison to the rest of the
house
. The trucks pulling through the toll booth are heard everywhere indoors at all
times
. There is a very bright flashing blue light associated with the toll booth, making it
nearly impossible to sleep in our upstairs bedrooms without keeping the window closed
to block the noise and the shades pulled to block the flashing
.
Finally, my wife suffers from Multiple Sclerosis, and the constant noise levels experi-
enced while spending time outdoors tend to exacerbate her symptoms
. She does not do
well in large crowds or anywhere that excessive noise occurs
. As it is, she must nap for
several hours every afternoon, which can be less than pleasant with so many trucks
passing by our back fence
.
From our point of view, the noise levels at home are beyond being simply a nuisance,
and we would welcome the construction of a noise barrier to improve our quality of life
.
I
I
