New walls on 24th Street bring safety, beauty to Westchester residents
Dec. 8—Standing eight-feet-tall, from Myrtle Street to the far corner of A Street, new decorative walls are near completion along the entrances of a Westchester neighborhood that borders the newly widened 24th Street.
The brick walls will border several cul-de-sacs previously exposed to the widened road, which expanded to four lanes in 2018.
At the time, the Bakersfield City Manager's Office approached residents on either side of the street and posed the question: Who wants a sound wall? The City explained at the time that the walls were warranted, since traffic was now closer to homes.
Sound walls are built with particular materials to meet certain specifications that ultimately reduce sound from traffic.
Residents to the north voted yes; voters to the south: no. Construction of a sound wall was subsequently completed on the north side of 24th Street between Beech and Myrtle streets.
Homes along 24 Street have several cul-de-sacs — Myrtle, Spruce, Pine, Cedar and A streets — flanked by a major street, which is uncommon throughout the city. Several homes along the road were removed during the project's lifetime, according to prior reports.
During the project's construction, residents on the south side of 24th Street expressed safety concerns over being too close to the road with no barrier. In October 2019, around 60 residents met with Bakersfield City Councilman Andrae Gonzales at the cul-de-sac on Pine Street, to show him their cause for concern.
"Residents felt it would help enhance safety as well as the look and feel of the neighborhood," Gonzales said.
Residents, according to Gonzales, requested a decorative wall, not a sound wall. They wanted something that would not only separate residents from the dangers of the road but also beautify the neighborhood.
While the two projects are similar in scope, Gonzales said this is a new project altogether, and not the residents going back on their word.
"It was never intended to be a sound wall," Gonzales said. "They wanted a decorative wall; something to screen traffic from the peace and tranquility of the neighborhood. So now kids can ride their bicycles, residents can walk and live in peace."
City officials announced the project in July, and by the end of August, were awarded $361,640 by the City Council. Construction, which began in late October, is expected to finish next week.
"This was born out of community input," Gonzales said. "And now it looks really nice and offers safety to pedestrians just trying to enjoy public space."
