The 'Great Walls of Berry', providing sound reduction for residents in southern Berry from the $580 million Berry Bypass are almost complete.
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And according to Kiama MP Gareth Ward, who has described the structures as the "Monet of noise walls", the fight is not over as he "continues to push" for the walls to "be extended further south past the Arbour", the over 55s lifestyle retirement village and aged care facility on the southern side of Victoria Street.
South Berry residents have been fighting for almost four years to get the walls installed on the southern side of the Kangaroo Valley Road overpass, near Windsor Drive and Huntingdale Park Road.
The walls, which run for around 300 metres on both sides of the Princes Highway have been included in the mounded areas that already exist on either side of the bypass, are almost complete, with just a final few pieces of perspex to be put in place.
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The NSW Government committed $5.3 million towards the two noise barriers projects at Berry and further work near Coryule Place at Kiama.
Tina Ballard, one of many local residents who have campaigned long and hard for the noise mitigation walls, has praised the effectiveness of the new walls and their aesthetics.
"I'm extremely pleased they are almost complete," Mrs Ballard said.
"It's almost unbelievable. Honestly I didn't think it would happen in our lifetime. And they have made a difference.
"I noticed before the glass part was put on top there didn't seem to be much difference, but now most of them are complete there has been quite a difference," she said.
"I now can actually have a window open and talk on the phone, which was not possible in the past. We had to close everything up to hear the television, unless you had it screaming in the house.
"Others have noticed the difference too."
There has been quite a difference. Now can actually have a window open and talk on the phone, which was not possible in the past. We had to close everything up to hear the television, unless you had it screaming in the house.
- South Berry resident Tina Ballard
But she did say due to the topography of the area, perhaps not all residences would achieve the same outcomes.
"You can still hear the sounds but they are further away - the sound is in the distance."
Mrs Ballard praised the new wall's appearance, describing them as "quite attractive".
"They really look good. I was worried we might get something like the walls along the highway at Kiama, but these are very tasteful and look good," she said.
Mrs Ballard said the walls had already made a "big difference".
"The constant screaming and noise of the bypass, you could almost think you were at the airport," she said.
"Yes the highway had come past us before, but traffic was a lot slower through the township of Berry, down to 50km/h, reducing the noise and there was a speed camera just south as you were leaving the town and that also reduced speeds and therefore the noise.
"When the bypass opened we had trucks and other heavy vehicles, B doubles screaming through there at higher speeds [100km/h]. And the new road is actually higher than the old highway.
"It was worse when it was raining and worse at night.
"We got some relief when the trucks stop and the driver's slept before 3am and a little bit of relief on long weekends, when, believe it or not, there wasn't as much traffic.
"There was a stage where people would not invite visitors to home for an outside barbecue because you had to shout at one another to be heard.
"I could not speak directly with my neighbour across the road - you had to go over and then still yell due to the traffic noise - that was not the case before the highway realignment.
"Our lives were destroyed and what we were being told by the RMS when we spoke to them was 'you'll get used to it'."
But for other community members further south the battle is still not over with some residents of the Arbour calling for the walls to be extended, something Mr Ward "continues to fight for".
In my view the noise had increased to unacceptable levels and I wasn't prepared to allow the government to do nothing to help these people.
- Kiama MP Gareth Ward
"I have made further representations to the minister over the Arbour and am trying to get the minister to meet with those residents," he said.
"To date, the minister continues to avoid this request, but it won't stop me fighting for those residents.
"At the last election I committed funding to install noise walls based on the strong representations of residents who lived adjacent to the Berry Bypass.
"There is no doubt the Berry Bypass has been a game changer for our region - it's slashed travel times and reduced the road toll enormously. It's been an investment that changed lives and saved lives," Mr Ward said.
But he conceded some residents, particularly those to the south of the township had been impacted by noise after the bypass' completion.
"Residents were concerned the ambient noise had significantly increased to what was previously occurring on the old Princes Highway," Mr Ward said.
"They felt noise had considerably increased and impacting their well being. I took what I thought was an impossible case to the government.
"The RMS presented its environmental assessment and was of the view the post construction noise was within acceptable limits.
"If that was the case, they clearly didn't do what I did and sit in the living rooms, the lounge rooms and the kitchen of the affected people.
"In my view the noise had increased to unacceptable levels and I wasn't prepared to allow the government to do nothing to help these people."
Mr Ward said despite "having many doors slammed in his face" he kept going and after "reaching the point sheer frustration", the minister gave in and announced there would be constructed noise walls in Berry.
"Disappointingly the money wasn't going to go as far as I had liked, I wanted greater protection for communities like the Arbour and I'm still fighting for that," he said.
"But sometimes you take what you can get and work on other issues at a later time.
"These walls have made a difference, while noise will always be a factor for those living next to major roads the reduction in immediate ambient noise is considerable."
Mr Ward said he continues to meet with the minister over the issue of extending the walls further south and would like to see an assessment done to establish how long the present walls should be extended.
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