Photo: Diane Edwardson, April 13, 2009. As if those 8 houses on Corralitas Drive weren't already in a hole next to the 2 Freeway, cutting down all the trees and building 8-10' sound walls will certainly enhance the effect. (Click on photos to enlarge.)
Photo: Diane Edwardson, July 1, 2009. Corralitas Walk is the 9' wide, public right-of-way adjacent to the Red Car Property and the 2 Freeway. If you cut down the trees on the freeway and build an 8-10' high sound wall, this will become a dark alley besieged by graffiti vandals and not be a safe place to walk. At least now, light comes through the trees. Any trees planted on this side of a sound wall will not likely grow due to the lack of sunlight.
Sound walls are graffiti magnets. Since sound naturally rises, sound walls will do nothing to dampen the sound for homes up above the freeway. Considering the "canyon effect" of sound bouncing around the hills, it's possible it will increase the noise level in some places.
*Note: In the earlier EIR the sound walls extended vaguely down toward Rosebud. There was not a definitive answer to the sound wall question in 2009. In fact, in public meetings, the MTA denied the sound walls were in the plan, despite being on the plan drawings in the EIR. So you should go to the meeting.
UPDATE: According to Plan F, there are no sound walls planned adjacent to Corralitas Drive. See post: 12-1-10.
The MTA is hosting a community meeting Tuesday, November 30, 2010 regarding its 2 Freeway Terminus "improvement" project.
