NORTH OLMSTED, Ohio — It's hard to find just one word that describes the noise pollution Brookpark Road resident Greg Lennert experiences daily.
"Noisy is an understatement," he said. "Nobody drives 50 miles per hour. Everyone races at night. Everyone revs their engines because the speed limit is higher underneath the bridge."
It's not just the noise from Brookpark Road that keeps Lennert up at night.
"On top of the Brookpark Road problem," he said. "480 is horrible. I've had things fall off my wall because of semis going over the bridge."
Lennert has lived in his condo for five years. He has finally reached his breaking point.
"There is never any peace and quiet," he said.
Lennert has reached out to city and state officials about the roadways, but has received little response.
He reached out to News 5 reporter Caitlin Hunt, who then contacted North Olmsted about Brookpark Road and the Ohio Department of Transportation about the bridge.
North Olmsted Police informed Hunt via email that they had installed speed signs along Brookpark Road in August; however, the data doesn't indicate a speeding issue.
Something Lennert found hard to believe.
"I bet we could sit out here for the next hour and get over 55," he told Hunt.
Police said they would reinstall the speed signs and increase patrols in the area.
Neither has happened, according to Lennert.
As for the interstate, there's more hope there. It might just take a while. ODOT confirmed they did a noise test, and the area qualifies for a sound wall. However, that wall would ned to be built on the bridge.
According to ODOT engineers, the bridge is unable to support the weight of the wall.
ODOT said the issue could be looked into during the bridge's next scheduled maintenance, which is in 10 to 15 years.
Currently, ODOT has stated that Lennert qualifies for a noise barrier.
To initiate the process, Lennert would need to collect signatures from residents living within 500 feet of the interstate.
As cars and semis continue to pass his condo, Lennert dreams of the day he will finally get a quiet night at home.
"It would be nice to sit out on the balcony, relax, look out," he said. "But, you're not going to get that here."
