A new enclosed sound barrier built on elevated MRT tracks along Toh Guan Road in Jurong East has provided residents nearby much-needed relief from the noisy MRT line nearby.
The 150m-long, 4.5m-high sound barrier, completed in May, is part of a plan by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to cut noise levels in residential areas near MRT tracks or busy roads.
These barriers cover the tracks almost entirely, save for a gap at the top, unlike standard barriers which do not have such a "roof". They are placed along turnouts - places where trains merge or change tracks - as noise levels are higher there compared with stretches of straight tracks.
Other locations with such barriers are near Block 269 in Tampines Street 21 and Block 110 in Jurong East Street 13, which are next to train tracks.
The LTA says more standard noise barriers are currently being built at Admiralty, Marsiling and Sembawang MRT stations. They are due to be completed in 2016.
Residents of Block 266, Toh Guan Road, which is right beside the tracks, told The Straits Times that the barriers have kept a lid on train noise.
"It was hard to sleep last time because of train noise. It wasn't painful, but it was distracting," said secondary school student Kavi Ganesan, 15. But while residents agree that the sound barrier in Toh Guan Road has reduced noise levels, the design has become a sore point with some residents.
The reflective material which forms the roof of the barrier reflects sunrays into apartments which face the track. Retired machine operator Poh Kian Lam, 64, who lives on the fifth floor, described the reflected rays as being like "a big fire" in his apartment.
"The whole hall is bright," he said. "We have to cover the gate (of the flat) with blankets to block the sunlight."
His neighbour three floors up, housewife Lim Chuey Beng, 51, said in Mandarin: "It's so bad during the afternoon, I get blinded when I step out in the doorway."
An LTA spokesman said that the authority is aware of the issue and will be rectifying it.
"Something will be done to the finishing of the barriers," he said.
This article was first published on Dec 30, 2014.
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