U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
202-366-4000
The team divided the general topic of quiet pavement systems into six subsets, and apportioned its members the responsibility for specific topical information. The purpose was to insure that each area of interest was properly documented. The areas of interest and team assignments were as follows:
As noted above, all of the countries the team studied are EU members and are therefore subject to the provisions of Directive 2002/49/EC, dated June 25, 2002. However, the team found that each country is at a slightly different place in its journey to abate or attenuate roadway-generated noise. The team focused on the common denominator of quiet pavement technology as a tool in noise reduction.
Population—5.4 million (2003)
Highways—71,591 kilometers (km) total, including 880 km of expressways
Danish research has shown that 15 percent of the people are annoyed at noise levels above 55 dBA (A-weighted 24-hour equivalent sound level, L Aeq24h). Of the 2.5 million homes in Denmark, 706,000 are exposed to noise levels exceeding 55 dBA. In response, Denmark has established noise regulatory guidelines (1984) for newly constructed homes and newly constructed roadways. The noise level is measured at the facade of the houses. These guidelines were designed to control noise and were not intended to limit development. Mitigation strategies include turning the rear of the houses to face the street, façade insulation, living rooms and bedrooms facing the backyard, and a maximum noise level of 55 dBA in gardens. For the past 20 years, all new houses (300,000 or 12 percent of all homes) have met the national noise guidelines (55 dBA, 30 dBA indoor).
The entire country has been noise mapped and the current focus is to expend funding on areas with the highest noise levels. There is no requirement to use noise-reducing pavement, but with the cost of noise walls approaching DKK10 ,000 (about US$1,666) per meter and the commitment to using the most cost-effective strategies, the use of quiet pavement technology is becoming more attractive.
Use of low-noise surfaces is limited in Denmark, but test sections are being evaluated in active research projects. Pilot projects were built about 6 years ago, and intensive monitoring and data accumulation are being used to formulate the effectiveness of quiet pavements.
Denmark employs the following traffic-planning techniques to address highway noise:
In addition, Denmark also uses the following speed-reduction techniques to improve roadway noise:
To address roadway noise, Denmark plans the following future actions:
Population—16.1 million (2003)
Highways—116,500 km total; 104,850 km paved, including 2,235 km of expressways
The Netherlands is experiencing high traffic noise because the country is densely populated, has a high degree of infrastructure, and is highly mobile. The Noise Nuisance Act of 1979 resulted from research performed by the Health Council, which looked at noise-related sleep disturbance and annoyance. The research found that 10 percent of the population was annoyed with noise levels higher than 50 dB (greater of daytime and nighttime A-weighted equivalent sound level, L Aeq, explained further in Noise Analysis section). In principle, the act stipulates that each road has noise zones and all population density within the zones must be investigated for the noise level. If the levels are exceeded, measures must be taken to reduce noise. The guidelines were 50 dBA for new locations and 55 dBA for existing locations. For the widening of existing roads, the “stand-still principle” applied, resulting in all increases in noise levels being mitigated.
In response to the Noise Nuisance Act of 1979, the Innovation Program (IPG) was created. The goal of this program, which included the Dutch Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Environmental Affairs, was to reduce traffic noise significantly using source-related measures. The program approach was to investigate all possibilities of noise reduction. Potential results include decreased dependence on barriers and an increase in source-related measures. The mission of the IPG is to deliver noise-reduction measures ready to implement and allow noise in the Netherlands to be reduced in an affordable way.
The activities implemented under the Noise Nuisance Act and the IPG results will form the basis for the Netherlands’ approach to complying with the EU Environmental Noise Directive. Auto technology is not expected to provide a complete solution to meeting the EU requirements. Therefore, an integrated approach is proposed that includes building restrictions with noise guidelines and aggressive roadway planning.
In the Netherlands, research was initially performed on porous asphalt (PA) in the late 1970s on A28 to reduce splash and spray. A reduction of 3 dB was achieved for passenger vehicles and no reductions for trucks. Based on Noise Nuisance Act requirements, PA is required on all roads carrying over 25,000 average daily traffic (ADT). In addition, PA is required for all regular maintenance. Currently, 60 percent of the roads in the Netherlands have PA.
Population—60.2 million (2003)
Road network—894,000 km, including national roads of 27,000 km, motorways of 9,700 km, county roads of 360,000 km, and local roads of 595,000 km
A law on noise was passed in 1992 that provided guidance on the various sources of noise and addressed noise from a transportation viewpoint. The law also established the following noise levels (L Aeq at the building façade): 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.—60 dBA (no background), and 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.—55 dBA (no background). The law also gave preference to avoidance, mitigation, and abatement, but it did not address quiet pavements.
A policy was also established that provided instructions to address black spots (greater than 70 dB during the day or greater than 65 dB at night.). This action called for treating 200,000 dwellings in 2 years, but this treatment was delayed because of lack of funding. The policy in France is to avoid all black spots on new roads. To respond to this policy, the Department of Transport has decided to use pavement products that will reduce noise, mainly in towns. The promotion of quiet pavements in France is relatively new, beginning in 1998. The Department of Transport estimates that France will see a 50 percent increase in traffic in the next 20 years.
In 1995, a decree was passed that defined the noise modifications to be carried out. Noise increases greater than 2 dB required modifications. This decree required all road systems to be mapped and required noise to be addressed in all land development.
On November 3, 2003, the French government launched a new action plan to cope with noise. The plan established a target of addressing 500 dwellings (low-income homes) in 5 years in sensitive areas or black spots (greater than 70 dB during the day and greater than 65 dB at night.).
In France, speed and traffic management is used to address noise, but this technique cannot be used in Paris, where major roads bisect the city. For the rest of the national system, agencies optimize alignment (similar to context-sensitive design—fitting alignment with existing environment), construct barriers or earth embankments (berms), or resort to façade insulation or buyouts of dwellings. Quiet pavement is an option for reducing noise in urban areas, but definitely not in Paris with its cobblestone streets. The Ministry of Culture does not allow removal or coverage of the historical sections of Paris. In addition, the French have experimented with wide bus lanes in Paris to move buses as far from the pavement edge as possible. France’s Quiet Pavement Policy has been in place for about 4 years and is expected to provide a reduction of 3 to 4 dB.
Population—58 million (2003)
Highways—479,688 km, including 6,621 km of expressway
Italy has advanced legislation in noise regulations on pavement noise. The noise law in Italy was passed in October 1995 (Law 26.10.1995) to address acoustic pollution. All noise sources—not just the noise from an improvement—that can alter the noise level limits of new roads must be addressed.
In spring 2004, the last part of the legislation was passed to address road noise, including limits. The Italians indicated that they have 3 years to complete a general plan on noise control, 18 months to complete noise contour mapping and a plan with priorities, and 15 years to implement the plan, and that they must report on the progress of implementation each March. To accomplish this task, a minimum of 7 percent of the budget has been dedicated to address noise issues.
Italian officials indicated that theirs was the first country in Europe to apply noise mapping on existing roads. Italy has 98 km of noise barriers and 1,968 km of antinoise pavement. In addition to the typical noise-reducing strategies, Italy also uses baffles, or partial or total cover of the carriageway, and recently recognized the noise-reduction ability from a 1.5-m- tall safety median barrier.
In Italy, the first use of porous pavement technology was intended to increase skid resistance and reduce wet weather spray. When it was observed that these pavements also resulted in reduced tire-pavement noise, an effort was mounted to optimize the effect without loss of safety or pavement durability.
Population—60 million (2003)
Highways—371,913 km, including 3,358 km of expressways
In the past, the focus has been on providing excellent skid-resistant surfaces. However, for the past several years the United Kingdom has made an effort to find the balance between safety (skid) and noise reduction using quiet pavement technology. Quiet pavements are now widely used by the Highways Agency, which is conducting significant research into improved systems.
The 1963 Wilson Report brought together all issues related to noise and attempted to quantify the issues associated with different sources. The Land Compensation Act of 1973 allowed the public to claim compensation from the government for all impacts of public works (noise, air, etc.). Noise insulation regulations introduced under this act established criteria for insulating residential buildings adversely affected by noise from such works. In addition to other factors, the qualifying noise level was specified as 68 dB (sound level exceeded 10 percent of the time, L 10; hours from 6 a.m. to midnight). The regulations were applied retroactively to roads built after 1969; noise barriers could be provided in the case of older roads but these locations were not addressed before 1979. More recently (since 1999) a small amount of funding was “ring-fenced” to address problems at the worst affected locations near older roads. An investigatory threshold of 80 dBA at roadside was established, with an additional criterion of an excess of noise levels above predictions of 3 dB for roads built after 1969.
In 1980, a safety policy was established requiring skidding resistance to be monitored and maintained. This policy resulted in overlays of chippings that had tended to increase tire noise. Porous asphalt pavements were introduced experimentally in the 1980s, and although they provided reduced spray and tire noise, they had durability problems because of raveling. In the mid-1990s the United Kingdom experimented with thin-layer textured mixes that were relatively inexpensive, quick to construct, and provided acceptable durability. About this time, the Department of Environment and Department of Transportation merged. Thin-surface technologies were emphasized to the new deputy prime minister and, in 1998 a policy document entitled A New Deal for Trunk Roads in England was published. This document outlined the routine use of quieter surfaces and said that noise barriers could be provided at hot spots meeting certain criteria (specified in 1999 in conjunction with the “ring-fenced” budget). Quieter surfaces (specified as at least 2.5 dB quieter than hot rolled asphalt (HRA) are now used as a matter of course on new and improved trunk roads and when existing trunk roads are resurfaced.
In 2000, a 10-year plan for transport set a target for advancing noise-reduction policies on major roads. Under this plan, the U.K. Highways Agency is resurfacing particularly noisy concrete surfaces on the strategic network before the end of their normal life and plans to resurface all such pavements by the end of the plan (2011). The overall goal is to resurface 60 percent of the strategic road network with quieter materials over the 10-year period. The United Kingdom has experimented with EAC finishes, but thin-layer quiet surfacings have overtaken that technology as being more cost effective, even on concrete pavements.
Planning guidance for assessing noise impacts on new residential developments is now under review. Current guidelines are based on the 16-hour equivalent continuous free field noise level. If the traffic noise level in the area is higher than 72 dBA, then the proposal should be refused. Where traffic noise levels are above 63 dBA, if the authority wishes to approve the proposal, the developer should be required to provide measures to reduce the noise within the building. Noise barriers are often specified in addition to insulation in such cases, although this free field level equates to the threshold of 68 dBA at the façade of an existing property specified in the noise insulation regulations for new roads.
It is anticipated that additional legislation implementing the EU END will be passed in the coming months. This will require noise maps to be generated by 2007 with 5 dB contours showing noise impacts in large urban areas and associated with major transportation links.
Future legislation is expected to specify noise calculations based on models being developed under the HARMONOISE and IMAGINE research programs. By 2008, action plans must be declared, and the U.K. noise-control policy will probably be reviewed at the same time. EU members have the right to set their criteria for action, and the United Kingdom might extend the opportunity for providing insulation where barriers and quiet pavements are less cost effective. The Highways Agency has divided its strategic road network into four regions and has developed a composite index and a value management process to prioritize maintenance actions to take into account whole-life cost, environmental benefits, safety, and traffic disruption.
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