I have always had a fascination with walls.

Walls keep some people in and other people out.

I was released from the US Army on August 13, 1961, the day the Berlin Wall was completed. The purpose of the Berlin Wall was to close off an escape route from Communist East Germany to Democratic West Germany because the East Germans were voting with their westward-moving feet. The Berlin Wall put an end to that. Escapes became more daring and many people were killed.

In 1989 the wall was destroyed as Russian Communism ended. I visited Berlin in 1995 and at Checkpoint Charlie they were selling pieces of the wall as souvenirs.

In Northern England the Romans built a wall in 122 A.D. to keep out the troublesome northerners, the Scots. The Scots were brave fighters and Hadrian's Wall could not contain them. Soon the Roman legions retreated and were gone.

The Temple Wall in Jerusalem (the Wailing Wall) was all that was left of the original temple. It is not a portion of the synagogue, but it is an outer wall. It has a huge, emotional and historic value to the Hebrew people. It validates Jewish history by remaining upright after thousands of years.

The Great Wall of China is an amazing piece of architecture. It was built to keep out the Mongol hordes from the north. It is virtually still intact. Someday I hope Lorraine, my beautiful wife, and I will walk between the towers and parapets of the Great Wall of China.

This little lecture is only a prelude to my real intention. I wish to speak of the Great Long Island Expressway Wall. This wall is being constructed for about 40 to 50 miles, not to keep people out, but to keep the sounds and smells of trucks and automobiles from the suburban population. As we travel east on the LIE, we see the evolution of the sound barriers. They started out as wooden slats and now they have evolved into multi-colored, multi-designed concrete.

The wall is not hideous, but it is not beautiful either. A tan base and a maroon trim are the colors presently being used.

It is being constructed by the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT). It will be a "noise barrier, and it will be constructed where it is both acoustically feasible and economically reasonable," said a recent flier from the state.

The NYSDOT is also interested in "the visual impact associated with the introduction of noise barriers," according to the document. The wall will be 16 ft. high.

As my readers can probably guess, the public either...

a. loves the walls.

b. hates the walls.

c. doesn't care about the walls.

The reaction often coincides with proximity to these vertical noise abaters. To its credit, the NYSDOT is surveying the feelings of local communities as the wall construction enters into their neighborhoods.

Many times in the past I have requested letters and opinions of my readers.

I would like to hear both good and bad from my readers who have experienced the construction and who are presently living near the LIE Wall. It will be extremely helpful to our community. Thank you!

Please send postcards or letters to:

Dr. Stanley Greenberg

169 High Pond Drive

Jericho, NY 11753