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U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation

An Ongoing Legacy of Traffic Noise Modeling

Friday, January 9, 2015

Driving a car at 65 miles an hour on a highway might be a relaxing experience for some, but for people living near that highway, the collective sound of thousands of cars going by every day can have serious health consequences. Noise pollution can cause sleep disturbances, hearing loss, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and decreased economic productivity.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in the early 1990s turned to Volpe to develop a state-of-the-art noise prediction model. Over the past two decades, Volpe has developed noise prediction models that help FHWA construct noise barriers that are technologically advanced and cost effective.

The Challenge

Reducing traffic noise has been a major issue in planning and developing new highways since at least the early 1980s, when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimated that half the population was exposed to unsafe noise levels.

Noise barriers can reduce the impact of highway noise on surrounding communities—but they can be very expensive to build. FHWA has a duty to protect public health, but noise barriers need to be built according to the best available designs to ensure that taxpayer dollars don’t go to waste. A 15-foot wall that is just as effective as a 20-foot wall will save FHWA millions of dollars in construction costs.

The Solution

The software noise models that Volpe has designed and developed give FHWA an invaluable tool for constructing noise barriers that protect public health. The current version of this tool, Traffic Noise Model version 2.5, is built off of four prior releases. In the course of refining this tool, Volpe developers have upgraded software code, improved acoustic algorithms, and added new noise emissions levels for cars, trucks, buses, and motorcycles.

Volpe is now working on version 3.0, which will include a complete revamp of the software code that will allow developers to easily make changes to the program and improve the program’s performance. Version 3.0, slated for release in early 2015, will also interact well with modern geographic information systems programs. FHWA, state, and local staff working on highways will be able to use Traffic Noise Model version 3.0 in concert with a range of modern software applications.

The Impact

With more than 11 million people living within 500 feet of a major highway, the noise prediction models produced by Volpe developers have a direct impact on the well-being of households across the nation. And, with an average of 32,000 lane miles of highway built per year combined with tightening federal budgets, it is imperative that FHWA has the tools to make every dollar go the extra mile.

Volpe’s suite of development and technical support helps FHWA construct noise barriers that serve the public right up to the limits that modern technology allows.

Noise pollution can have serious health consequences, such as hypertension and hearing loss. (stockbroker/123RF photo)

Sponsor

Federal Highway Administration