WOBURN - State legislators predicted Wednesday night that construction of sound barriers along Routes 128 and I-93 could commence as early as next spring, if a new legislative strategy proceeds as planned.

During a joint meeting between the Woburn and Burlington Sound Barrier Committees at the city's Senior Center on Tuesday, the two municipalities' Beacon Hill contingent unveiled a plan to amend a transportation bill to slip-in funding for the sound barriers.

The legislation, entitled the Capital Bond/Transportation Bond Bill, was reportedly introduced to the State House for consideration by Gov. Deval Patrick in recent days.

According to State Senator Robert Havern (D-Arlington), he as well as State Representatives Patrick Natale (D-Woburn), Jay Kaufman (D-Lexington) and Charles Murphy (D-Burlington), will specifically lobby their legislative counterparts to allow for the $11 million amendment to pass.

The addition will specifically call for the $11 million appropriation to be earmarked for sound barriers along the two highways and the interchange, as well as the areas surrounding the Winn Street exit ramps.

According to Havern, compared to the huge sum of money required to reconstruct the I-93/95 cloverleaf, which will likely increase the capacity of the two highways, the construction of sound barriers carried a cheap price-tag.

And since Woburn and Burlington residents would have to bear the brunt of the impacts from that larger construction project, the $11 million amendment was akin to a mitigation payment.

"What we need to keep in mind is what is more important that the quiet enjoyment of your own backyard," said Havern. "The mitigation you seek with sound barriers is insignificant [when compared to the cloverleaf project]."

According to Natale and Ward 6 Alderman John Ciriello, even if the legislators rosy outlook on the amendment became reality, the Woburn/Burlington alliance needed to keep its joint grassroots pressure on state officials within MassHighway.

Although the funding would specifically be earmarked for the sound barriers, MassHighway, which is also pitching the cloverleaf alterations, will ultimately be responsible for seeing that $11 million put to use.

"We got to stay on MassHighway. Once we get this money, we need to get up there and show them we mean business," Natale said.

"One thing I learned when I became Alderman is that you have to continue fighting for what you want until you get it," Ciriello later remarked. "If things go well and we get our funding, we hope to get into the design phase by early next year."

Research and testimony

According to Burlington Sound Committee member Terri Keene, research into the number of residents impacted to the noise and safety issues associated with the two highways showed that there were over 2,000 residents living within 1,000 feet of the highway in the two towns.

In both municipalities, a total of 334 homes, excluding apartments and condos, were situated within 100 feet of the two interstates.

Of the 1,034 residences in the two communities that lived within that distance, 203 of those homes had been constructed before 1951, when the highway was built, the Burlington resident added.

Sound Committee member David George, who had conducted his own research into the health risks associated with the noise levels from the two interstates, later noted that an average person has difficulty sleeping if subjected to sound intensities above 45 decibels.

Based upon both state and private tests recently administered to measure the noise levels along I-93 and I-95, the decibel levels along the highways could be linked to hearing loss, high blood pressure, irritability, ulcers, and heartburn, among other ailments, George claimed.

"The EPA has determined that levels above 66 decibels are above the threshold deemed to be safe," the Sound Barrier Committee representative said, adding that testing had indicated that decibel levels were above that rate along the two roads.

According to Burlington resident Delores Lanzo, she was one abutter to the highway who had personally suffered from a series health setback due to the noise levels along I-93 and I-95.

Specifically, the Josephine Avenue resident recalled recently noticing that she was experiencing difficulty hearing. And after seeking medical advice, she learned that she suffered from irreversible conductive hearing loss, a condition that continues to worsen.

"I'm one of those people," Lanzo told the gathering. "It's too late for me, but it's not for our children."

"I have a 12-year-old with circles under his eyes. We've tried to move him to the other side of the house, but it's just getting worse," another area resident would later say.

The lone dissenter in the packed Senior Center hall, Woburn resident Anthony Graziano, Jr. challenged the effectiveness of the sound barriers, and voiced his intent to fight their construction to the end.

According to the Dickson Road resident, his home would likely be seized through eminent domain if the barriers were erected, as his home has a front seat view of the highway.

Based upon his findings, the noise protection would likely prove ineffective for those living beyond 300 feet of the two high traffic interstates, meaning that the majority of those 2,000 residents who live with 1,000 feet of the highways would gain little benefit.

The long-time city resident further disputed the contention that the highways presented a grave danger to local homeowners, as over 1 million cars traversed the two interstates.

"My frontage abuts the highway, if I lose just six inches, I lose my property," said Graziano, who advocated for finding other approaches to the issue. "If you construct [sound barriers] on both sides of me, the radiant noise that you don't want will be all around me."