Validation of FHWA's Traffic Noise Model: Version 3.0

Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, Technical Reference Center;Federal Highway Administration2019PDFTech ReportHastings, Aaron L.Rapoza, Amanda S.Shumway, Meghan AhearnReed, Erin M.Kaye, SophieJohn A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (U.S.)United States. Federal Highway Administration. Office of Natural EnvironmentUnited States. Federal Highway AdministrationUnited StatesTraffic noiseComputer modelsValidationField testsTraffic Noise ModelTNMmodel validationConsistency Test suiteFHWA-HEP-20-011HW17A100 SH040Ho, CeciliaFinal reportThe Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) with the assistance of the Volpe Center Acoustics Facility conducted a study to quantify the agreement of FHWA\u2019s Traffic Noise Model Version 3.0 (TNM 3.0) with measured highway noise data and with predictions from TNM 2.5. Forthis phase of validation, 281 hours of traffic noise data were collected at 14 highway sites across the country. The sites included: open areas next to the highway with acoustically soft ground (e.g., lawn); open areas with acoustically hard ground (e.g., pavement or water); and areas next to the highway with an open area behind a single noise barrier. Data were compared in aggregate and as a function of several parameters including: TNM version, site, distance, ground type and pavement type. Model results from FHWA\u2019s Consistency Test Suite were also compared. The results provide information about the degree and sources of variation between TNM 2.5 and 3.095