Sound mapping and acoustic simulations in the implementation of the northern stretch of the Green Line in Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil

Abstract

The present study aims to study environmental noise pollution in areas close to the northern stretch of the Green Line, in Curitiba, PR, Brazil, which has a length of approximately 8 km. For this purpose, in situ measurements of sound levels were carried out and noise pollution was evaluated through the calculation of noise maps in addition to acoustic simulations. Measurements were recorded at 16 points following the guidelines of the NBR 10151. Acoustic maps were made for each point using proper acoustic software. The aim was to verify whether measured values were within a margin error of up to 4.6 dB(A) compared to simulated values. After validating the maps and verifying the noise pollution at the selected points, one of the points, which is close to a hospital, was analyzed alone to evaluate different simulation scenarios. The selected scenarios were replacement of common asphalt for one with porous properties; 90% restriction on the quantity of heavy vehicles; reduction of average speed of vehicles from 80 km/h to 60 km/h; 50% restriction on the number of vehicles of all categories; and acoustic situation of the site, including all the measurements proposed in the previous scenarios. All scenarios presented in this work reveal that the measurements adopted were not sufficient to reach 55 dB(A) near sensitive areas such as hospitals. They also show that just one control measure is not enough to lower noise efficiently. A plan with several joint measures is needed to alleviate the problem.