THE SOUND OF TRAFFIC : QUIET PAVEMENTS REDUCE NOISE LEVELS

In this article the author describes the burgeoning sound abatement technology known as Quiet Pavement and the implementation of the Quiet Pavement Pilot Program (QPPP) by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The article opens with a description of some of the problems with sound pollution in urban settings, and the logarithmic adjusted measurement used to quantify sound- dB(A)- as it relates to the noise produced by vehicle-road contact. Vehicle-road sound, which is a combination of mechanisms such as tread vibration, air pumping, slip-stick, and stick-snap, is used to determine the most effective means of abatement in generating alternatives to standard hot mix asphalt (HMA) pavements. The FHWA’s QPPP is an experimental program, which, already being implemented by Arizona’s DOT, can be used to conduct research into the possibilities that Quiet Pavement presents. In Arizona this has taken the form of using nearly 4.2 million tons of rubberized asphalt in the period between 1988 and 2005 (although the average abatement for such measures is approximately 4 dB (A)). Although the results in using QPPP in Arizona have been promising, the effective temperature range is between 85 and 145 degrees Fahrenheit, which may not be appropriate for colder states.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/1606878
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Page range: pp 46-48, 51-53
• Corporate Authors:

  Public Works Journal Corporation

  200 South Broad Street
  Ridgewood, NJ  United States  07451
• Authors:
  • Broviak, P
• Publication Date: 2005-9

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Photos;
• Pagination: 6p
• Serial:
  • Public Works
  • Volume: 136
  • Issue Number: 10
  • Publisher: Hanley Wood
  • ISSN: 0033-3840
  • Serial URL: http://www.pwmag.com

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Asphalt pavements; Asphalt rubber; Concrete pavements; Noise control; Policy; Sound level meters; Traffic noise
• Identifier Terms: Quiet Pavement Pilot Program
• Subject Areas: Design; Environment; Highways; Policy;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01006925
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: UC Berkeley Transportation Library
• Files: BTRIS, TRIS
• Created Date: Nov 8 2005 7:32AM