A city committee will be reviewing a report for information regarding adding trees along the E.C. Row Expressway between Walker Road and Howard Avenue to help mitigate noise.
The Environment, Transportation and Public Safety Standing Committee will discuss the report which came from a council question from ward 9 councillor Kieran McKenzie in September 2022.
In May 2023, the Environment Committee asked administration to work with the Parks Department and City Forester to investigate opportunities to add trees on the north and south sides along the Expressway between that section.
The report states that while trees are aesthetically pleasing and beneficial for the environment, they are not the most effective tool for creating a sound barrier along expressways.
Administration states that over 1,600 trees would need to be planted between both sides, and the total cost to purchase, plant and maintain the trees would be between $1.6-million and $1.8-million.
Kieran McKenzie, ward 9 city councillor, says sound barriers will cost exponentially more than $1.8-million for trees.
"The difference in the decibel mitigation isn't really as appreciable as people might expect. The sound walls according to some of the science are definitely an improvement, but not by a whole lot. The trees planted in the correct way can have up to 80 per cent of same type of effectiveness, in certain instances, as a sound barrier does."
He says he's a little bit disappointed with the feedback from administration.
"All I was looking for was a solution so that the folks that live in close proximity to that stretch could have the same level of service that anyone else that lives along that corridor currently has. And unfortunately it looks like administration doesn't seem to think that it's feasible is the way I read the report. But that doesn't mean that I'm not going to continue to press to look for some solutions."
McKenzie says 1,600 trees would need to be planted in order to achieve sound mitigation in that area.
"Some of the research shows that there needs to be a certain amount of density with respect to the trees, how they're planted, and even the type of trees, in order for you to be able to achieve, you know, they say the maximum is somewhere between nine to 12 decibel levels in reduction if you're using let's say organic based methodology to try and address some of the challenges."
The report states that if trees are selected to help with this issue that dense trees, such as spruce, pine, or cedar, are the best option as they have foliage for all or most of the year.
The distance between Howard Avenue and Walker Road is approximately two kilometres, with a total of four kilometres encompassing both sides of the Expressway.
The committee will meet at 4:30 p.m.