The battered noise barrier in Opmeer will not be renewed. That is the outcome of a meeting between the province and local residents Tuesday evening. The provincial road is being overhauled and the screen needs to be replaced, according to local residents. But a new screen would only yield 1 or 2 decibels in ‘noise gain’, according to the province. Local residents believe that every decibel counts and are angry and disappointed.
Local residents gathered on the initiative of the province on Tuesday evening to discuss the noise barrier on AC de Graafweg in the municipality of Opmeer. However, the proposed solutions from the neighborhood did not have the desired effect. “Disappointing, angry and sad”, Keesjan Stapel of the Village Council responds to the outcome. “Like many others who live next to the noise barrier.”
In February last year, local residents proposed a number of solutions to reduce noise pollution. The municipality also carried out measurements on request. “But the province does not want to invest in it. They see no need for it, because it is too expensive and does not yield the result they had in mind. It would only save 1 to 2 decibels. step in the right direction,” says Stapel. “The only thing they might do is fill the gap at the end of the Breestraat with a so-called coconut fence.”
Does not meet the requirements
The ‘infamous’ noise barrier is located between the AC de Graafweg and the Bloemenbuurt. “When the screen was installed, there was less traffic. In all that time, more and more traffic has been added and we have a noise screen that no longer meets the requirements,” says Stapel.
Now that the provincial road is being renovated, this noise buffer, which is already thirty years old, is also in urgent need of renewal. “There are holes in it, the corrugated iron has been destroyed and there are trees on both sides that should keep things upright.”
The province informs NH Nieuws that it understands the disappointment. “We are just as disappointed, but the results of the study do not have the desired effect. We have to look carefully at how we are going to use our tax money efficiently,” says Daniël Eggermont, project leader at the province of Noord-Holland. “We will soon be meeting with our driver Jeroen Olthof and the municipality of Opmeer. What are the next steps? What are we going to do with these results? It is still too premature for now.”