Tire-pavement and environmental traffic noise research study.

PDFTech ReportCDOT-2012-506 HAA 00030Noise sourcesTraffic noiseTire/pavement noiseEnvironmental impactsColoradoColorado. DTD Applied Research and Innovation BranchRasmussen, Robert OttoSohaney, Richard C.Transtec Group, Inc.Colorado. DTD Applied Research and Innovation BranchUnited States. Federal Highway AdministrationNTL-HIGHWAY/ROAD TRANSPORTATION-Pavement Management and PerformanceNTL-HIGHWAY/ROAD TRANSPORTATION-Construction and MaintenanceNTL-ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT-Environment ImpactsUS Transportation CollectionIn response to an interest in traffic noise, particularly tire\ue2\u20ac\u201cpavement noise, CDOT elected to conduct tirepavementnoise research. Following a rigid set of testing protocols, data was collected on highway trafficnoise characteristics along with safety and durability aspects of the associated pavements. This reportcompletes a comprehensive, long-term study to determine if particular pavement surface types and/ortextures can be used as quieter pavements, and possibly be used to help satisfy FHWA noise mitigationrequirements. The study addressed: The noise generation/reduction characteristics of pavements as functions of pavement type, pavementtexture, age, time, traffic loading, and distance away from the pavement; Correlations between source measurements using on-board sound intensity (OBSI) and waysidemeasurements including both statistical pass-by (SPB) and time-averaged measurements; and The collection of data that can be used for validation and verification of the accuracy of the FHWATraffic Noise Model (TNM) to use on future Colorado highway projects.Implementation:There are numerous findings from this study, along with associated implementation activities. The mostpromising finding is that each of the common pavement types in use by CDOT has the potential for quietervariants. As a result, implementation of this study could include the identification and specification of thespecific asphalt mixtures and concrete textures that result in quieter pavements without compromising onsafety or durability