By Clarence Cromwell
When the Freeway Noise Abatement Committee talks, Caltrans listens--now that Assemblyman Jim Cunneen and the city councils of Saratoga and Cupertino have thrown their collective political weight behind the group.
The committee's request for modifications to muffle traffic noises got a green light from Caltrans Feb. 23. Committee members, flanked by Cunneen, Assemblyman Byron Sher, Saratoga Mayor Paul Jacobs and Cupertino Mayor Don Burnett, met with Caltrans District 4 director Joe Brown to ask for the freeway improvements once again. Cunneen called the meeting and invited Sher.
This time, Caltrans agreed to try silencing the freeway with sound-absorbing materials or quieter types of pavement--if the agency can find the money to do it. Caltrans will hire an independent consultant to compare sound-deadening techniques and determine the best way to quiet Route 85.
"We've moved ahead in that it's no longer the debate over whether there's noise along Route 85," Cunneen said by telephone after the meeting. Caltrans refused earlier requests by the committee, saying the road is not excessively noisy.
Cunneen may ask the Legislature to allocate funds for muffling Route 85, after Caltrans figures out how to do the job. The state's demonstration fund allows money for testing new transportation technology. But the account is empty this year, Cunneen said, and it could be empty next year as well because of budget constraints.
Funding could also come from Caltrans' budget, or Cunneen could introduce a line item in next year's state budget. Cunneen is chair of the Assembly budget subcommittee that oversees transportation funding.
Cunneen said he could also introduce a bill solely for funding Route 85 noise improvements if necessary, but it's the least likely alternative.
The funding isn't guaranteed, said Cunneen field representative Marc Manuel. Cunneen can't necessarily ask for millions of dollars, Manuel said, "at a time when other freeways in the state don't have soundwalls."
Members of the noise committee said Cunneen's presence probably made the most difference in Caltrans' abrupt turnaround.
"I think maybe Mr. Cunneen has a little more influence than the noise abatement committee," said FNAC co-chair Joan Hershkowitz. "We think this was quite a turnaround for Caltrans. At least now we're on the same page."
The committee has requested Caltrans' help repeatedly since the freeway opened Oct. 19, 1994. The group's efforts included a 3,000-signature petition submitted to Caltrans and the Santa Clara County Traffic Authority, asking for a study of freeway noise.
Then the committee turned to the city councils of Saratoga and Cupertino. In November 1995, the councils adopted a resolution asking state and federal legislators to sponsor bills that would fund tests of road-silencing technology on Route 85.
This article appeared in the Saratoga News, March 6, 1996.
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