Enhancing the local air quality benefits of roadside green infrastructure using low-cost, impermeable, solid structures (LISS)

Abstract

Communities located in near-road environments face adverse health effects due to elevated exposures to traffic-related air pollution (TRAP). While the use of a combination of solid structures (i.e. sound walls) and vegetation barriers can be an effective TRAP mitigation tool, installing these barriers can also present challenges to local communities. Sound walls are costly, and building these structures often requires the involvement of federal, state, and local permitting agencies. In this paper, we proposed that the use of low-cost, impermeable, solid structures (LISS), e.g., an impermeable thin wooden, plastic or metal fence, combined with vegetation can provide an effective option for local communities to improve near-road air quality due to lower costs and easier implementation. We conducted Large Eddy Simulations (LES) for different design scenarios of LISS and vegetation barriers under various conditions. Our results indicate that (i) combining LISS and vegetation is more effective than either alone, (ii) combining a less dense vegetation and LISS can be as effective as a dense vegetation barrier, (iii) In certain scenarios, depending on wind speed and particle size, vegetation barriers alone might lead to elevated pollutant concentrations; however, combining LISS with vegetation can mitigate those negative impacts, (iv) placing LISS closer to the freeway and in front of the vegetation barrier enhances vertical dispersion of pollutants, and (v) increasing LISS height promotes pollutant concentration reduction. These design recommendations can be used by urban planners, developers, and local community leaders to evaluate and implement green infrastructure to mitigate TRAP.