More than 50,000 vehicles a day Aargau municipality wants to protect residents from noise - the federal government gets in the way
More than 50,000 vehicles thunder past Frick AG every day - but according to Astra, there will be no effective whispering surface. The municipality reacts indignantly.
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- The highway causes severe noise pollution in Frick AG, which is why the municipality is demanding a whispering surface from the federal government.
- Following a complaint, Astra relented, but has now rejected the quieter surface as "not economically viable".
- Instead, a less effective standard surface is planned - the municipality is considering legal action.
The municipality of Frick AG is confronted with a high level of noise pollution. Every day, more than 50,000 vehicles pass over the highway section between Rheinfelden and Eiken. The municipality is therefore demanding that the federal government install a whispering surface to reduce noise pollution.
Because the Federal Roads Office (Astra) did not respond to the demand in a maintenance project, the local council appealed to the Federal Administrative Court. With success: Astra then agreed to draw up a noise protection project for the affected section of the highway.
The corresponding plans have been publicly available since Monday - however, the Frick municipality's conclusion is sobering, as reported by the "Aargauer Zeitung" newspaper. According to the Astra, the use of a whispering surface on national roads is "technically and operationally not economically viable". The main reasons for this are the short service life and a complex drainage system.
Municipality examines objection
The standard "SDA 8-12" surface is now to be used, which should reduce noise by two to three decibels. The whispering surface, on the other hand, would have resulted in a reduction of five to six decibels.
According to Astra, a speed reduction to 100 km/h would not have brought the hoped-for noise reduction either. The same applies to the erection of noise barriers, as these also did not meet the required economic viability.
The municipality of Frick now wants to carefully analyze the documents. "The municipal council reserves the right to lodge an objection during the public consultation - and to consider legal action if necessary," municipal clerk Michael Widmer is quoted as saying by the "Aargauer Zeitung" newspaper.
