Residents torn over new sound walls along freeway in West Covina

WEST COVINA, Calif. (KABC) -- The city of West Covina found a way to cut traffic noise, but not everyone on Friday was embracing the idea of giant sound walls going up along the 10 Freeway.

West Covina resident Lisa Gable said she was frustrated by the 160-foot tall brownish-orange sound wall on I-10, right next to her house.

"I miss my view, I miss what it was before. It's just gone, it's just been nothing but an eye sore for a lot of us," she said.

Caltrans is building the stone walls as part of the HOV construction lanes project. Its purpose, in part, like the name suggests, is to help mitigate the loud construction noise.

Yessica Jovel, a spokesperson for Caltrans, said while some have complained, many have been appreciative of the change.

Resident Myra Cruz, who said she is excited for the wall to be built next to her apartment, thinks it not only helps with the noise but also gives the area a better look.

"I think it's an investment for the city. It will make it nicer, so I'm OK with that," she said.

Not everyone cares about the look or the noise as much as they care about the size. One restaurant manager said he lost a significant amount of clients because the wall covers the view of the restaurant from the highway.

Meanwhile, Jovel said that before the walls started going up, residents' voices were heard.

"Before we constructed any of these sound walls, we conducted noise studies, we conducted an environmental impact report where residents were able to voice their support for these walls," she added.