Politics & Government

$150K Mulch Wall to Provide Noise Relief from Freeway

The city's new 600-foot-long Great Wall of Mulch will provide much-needed noise relief for residents living along the heavily traveled Terminal Island Freeway, said officials.

Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster and Councilman James Johnson were on hand Tuesday morning to top off the wall, believed to be the only mulch wall constructed in the U.S., according to a city press release.

The wall extends the length of Hudson Park on the west side and will serve as an environmentally friendly buffer to reduce noise and eliminate the visual pollution of trucks along State Route 103, according to the press release.

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The city’s Office of Sustainability constructed a smaller version of the mulch wall to demonstrate feasibility in 2012, and in 2013 the Port of Long Beach partnered with the city to fund this larger project.

The total cost is $150,000, which also includes further exploration on the effectiveness of the mulch, including whether it can absorb air pollution such as diesel particulates, according to the press release.

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“The Great Wall of Mulch demonstrates how the city of Long Beach continues to strive for more innovative and unique solutions for environmental issues, including reducing the level of noise from the freeway," Foster stated.

The 12-foot high, 3-foot wide wall is completely made out of mulch, an organic material composed of green waste generated from routine tree trimming of Long Beach’s urban forest, according to the press release.

“Today, an injustice has ended,” Johnson stated. “The people of West Long Beach finally have an innovative ‘Green Wall’ along Hudson Park that will block the noise from the freeway, eliminate the visual blight, and improve air quality with trees and other plantings. I look forward to further improvements along the freeway as we protect the students, veterans, and residents who have lived next to this freeway without protection for far too long.”




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