Evaluating Pavement and Barriers for Noise Mitigation

Abstract

In NCHRP Project 10–76, methodologies were developed and demonstrated for evaluating the feasibility, reasonableness, effectiveness, acoustic longevity, and economic features of pavement strategies and barriers proposed for highway noise abatement. The essential elements of the methodologies are the use of an expanded pavement life-cycle cost analysis to examine economic features, a modified version of FHWA's Traffic Noise Model to integrate the noise reducing performance of pavements and barriers, and the use of onboard sound intensity data as input to the prediction model. The developed methodology is applied to state project–based examples. Barriers, quieter pavement, and combinations of both are evaluated for feasibility and reasonableness using the policies of three state highway agencies.