Ohio DOT’s ‘Chia Pet’ sound Wall

Green may coming to yet another segment of our industry that used to be concrete’s domain.

According to a Cleveland Plain Dealer story on Cleveland.com, Ohio DOT is trying to find an eco-friendly highway noise abatement system that will work long term.

The Ohio Department of Transportation will test a 12-foot-high wall of stacked, 70-pound bags sprouting plants and grass as an innovative way to muffle highway sound.

The 400-foot Green Noise Wall, to be built this fall on westbound Interstate 70 east of Columbus, is ODOT’s attempt to develop an alternative to concrete sound barriers.
If it works maybe they’ll be able to make future wall in the shape of cute animals and keep them neatly trimmed. I didn’t come up with the chia pet analogy, that’s from Ohio DOT. This is how the vegetation wall of sound might work.