TRB Webinar: Highway Noise Abatement Considering Noise Barriers and Quieter Pavement

TRB conducted a webinar on November 26, 2013 from 2:00 p.m.- 3:30 p.m. ET that presented TRB’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 738: Methodologies for Evaluating Pavement Strategies and Barriers for Noise Mitigation, which explored a methodology for equitably assessing quieter pavement, noise barriers, or combinations of the two for highway noise abatement. Contact Reggie Gillum at RGillum@nas.edu for more information about the webinar recording.

The report’s methodology uses a life-cycle cost analysis (LCCA) to examine the economic features of mitigation alternatives, the FHWA Traffic Noise Model (TNM) to integrate the noise reduction performance of pavements and barriers, and on-board sound intensity (OBSI) measurements as an input to the prediction model. In addition to covering traditional concepts of feasibility and reasonableness of noise abatement, presenters discussed pavement noise performance over time or “acoustic longevity”, the overall effectiveness of the abatement, and economic features of using quieter pavement and/or barriers. This webinar will be of interest to practitioners at state highway agencies, consultants, and those in industry who are concerned with pavement and noise abatement projects.

Webinar Presenters:

• Judy Rochat, ATS Consulting
• Paul Donavan, Illingworth & Rodkin, Inc.
• Dana Lodico, Lodico Acoustics, LLC
• Linda Pierce, Applied Pavement Technology, Inc.

Webinar Outline:

• Welcome/Introduction 
• Overview current and new highway noise analysis procedures 
  
  • Review of current highway noise abatement process under FHWA policy 
  • High level review of a process utilizing the 10-76 approach 
• LCCA applied to pavement and barriers 
  
  • Overview of FHWA LCCA applied to pavement 
  • Incorporation of initial and on-going cost and performance of pavements, and barriers in LCCA 
  • Example of LCCA applied to a hypothetical project involving consideration of noise abatement options 
• Use of OBSI in TNM 
  
  • Review of implementing pavement noise performance in TNM using OBSI to modify vehicle ground level source strength 
  • Examples of relationships between TNM average pavement results and those using OBSI-modified TNM
• Application to a new highway project 
  
  • Description of project and noise abatement alternatives to be considered 
  • Review of analysis results and discussion of alternative selections based on several state agencies’ policies 
• Application to highway widening projects 
  
  • Description of two highway widening projects and noise abatement alternatives considered 
  • Review of analysis results and discussion of alternative selection for each project based on policies from several state agencies
• Summary of other project applications, including reviews of other projects considered in 10-76 

The first 60 minutes of the webinar is for presentations and the final 30 minutes is reserved for audience questions.


Learning Objectives:

• To understand how pavement and barriers can be considered for more optimal abatement solutions.

To ensure that you receive notices about upcoming webinars, please subscribe to the TRB Transportation Research E-Newsletter.


Registration Information: 

There is no fee for employees of TRB sponsors who register using their work email address. In addition to employees of TRB sponsor organizations, the following are eligible to receive complimentary webinar registration:

• TRB and National Academies employees 
• Chairs of TRB standing committees, sections, or groups 
• Members of the media 
• Employees of tribal governments 
• Congressional staff members 

Other sites must pay $89 per site. View our pricing page for details.

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.


Professional Development Hour information:
A certificate for 1.5 Professional Development Hours (PDH) will be provided to Professional Engineers (PEs) who register and attend the webinar as an individual. For groups, only the person that registers and attends the session will receive a PDH certificate. 

Individuals registered as Florida PEs are required to email Reggie Gillum, RGillum@nas.edu, with their license number.

Please check with your licensing board to ensure that TRB webinar PDHs are approved by your board. 

This webinar was developed in August 2013. TRB has met the standards and requirements of the Registered Continuing Education Program (RCEP). Credit earned on completion of this program will be reported to RCEP by TRB. Certificates of Completion will be issued to individuals who register for and attend the entire webinar session. Complaints about registered providers may be sent to RCEP, PO Box 1686, Clemson, SC, 29633. Website: www.RCEP.net. 

Registration questions? Contact Reggie Gillum at RGillum@nas.edu.