City staff say building a noise wall alongside much of the Red Hill Creek Expressway will cost an extra $9 million and will not reduce the expected noise impacts. In June, Ward 5 councillor Chad Collins had demanded that the staff consider a roadside wall after residents adjacent to the valley refused to allow the erection of noise barriers on their private properties.

At that meeting, Red Hill project manager Chris Murray argued that a roadside wall would be too expensive as well as ineffective. Murray says essentially the same thing in the report he is presenting tomorrow which recommends "that staff not pursue further the idea of installing a noise wall along the length of the valley, adjacent to the expressway".

The staff report can be viewed at
http://www.city.hamilton.on.ca/
Clerk/agendas-minutes-reports/public-works/
2004/Oct04/PW04074a.pdf.

The June committee debate is available on the CATCH website at http://hamiltoncatch.org/
public/pub_040621b.htm.