The Quiet Pavements Program

The Research program-The Public Response
by Donna Carlson

     At the AR 2003 conference in Brazil, three papers were presented on noise research. Two dealt with the states of California and Arizona and the partnered research with the FHWA. In a paper by Larry Scofield, ADOT Research Engineer, the following descriptions of the various research programs were given.
     "The Arizona Quiet Pavement Research program is a comprehensive research effort intended to produce quieter pavement surfaces and to reduce traffic generated noise in the communities. The program consists of three independent but interrelated research efforts. The three research efforts include the FHWA/ADOT Quiet Pavements Pilot Program (e.g. composite pavement program), the flexible pavement program and the rigid pavement program."
     The FHWA/ADOT research program is designed to evaluate the efficacy of using pavement surface type as a noise mitigation strategy. The research will evaluate the acoustic properties of the ARFC surfaces for the length of their original service life (expected to be a minimum of 10 yrs). Among the 10 research objectives are:

• The validation of the minimum 4 dBA reduction allowance for ARFC surfaces.
• Quantify the acoustic properties of ARFC over time.
• Determine the efficacy and benefits of using pavement surfaces as a noise mitigation strategy.
• Evaluate the seasonal and environmental aspects of the acoustical properties of the ARFC over time.

Helping Hands from RPA/NAPA
     RPA first raised the noise mitigation with pavement surfaces issue with the FHWA in May of 2002. On September 10, 2002 by RPA and NAPA made a joint presentation to an Associate Director of the White House, Office of Domestic Policy. In December 2002 the Governor of Arizona, the Director of ADOT and the Maricopa Association of Governments announced a plan to resurface 115 miles of concrete urban freeways with Asphalt-Rubber as a noise mitigation strategy. At about the same time discussions between ADOT and the FHWA led the research to evaluate the acoustical properties of Asphalt-Rubber Friction Courses (ARFC) surfaces, one inch in thickness, placed on existing and newly constructed concrete (PCCP) roadways.

     The California research paper presented by Bruce C. Rymer, M. Eng, P.E, Caltrans and Paul R. Donovan, Sc.D. of Illingworth and Rodkin, Inc of Petaluma, California , was a detailed study of preliminary field tests of a new procedure for quickly and accurately assessing the noise characteristics of various pavements surfaces in situ, on board a vehicle operating at freeway speeds. The process allows measurement of just the tire/pavement noise at the exclusion of all other surrounding noise sources. The report notes "The findings from the research showed that as a group, PCCP surfaces were found to produce higher noise level than asphalt concrete surfaces. Of the highway pavements tested, those surfaces that were open graded, rubberized or both, produced the lowest noise levels."

     While these two papers contain a wealth of new technical information and should be obtained by agencies considering the noise issue in their jurisdiction, the conclusions of the RPA sponsored paper dealt with actual case studies that have captured the attention of the Arizona citizens, "immediate relief from noise pressures can be obtained by surfacing PCCP with a thin layer of AR OGFC with significant reduction in decibels and considerable praise from the traveling public." This paper entitled "Analysis of Traffic Noise Before and After Paving With Asphalt-Rubber" was a result of a study done by RPA Executive Director, Douglas Carlson, Han Zhu, Ph.D, Arizona State University and ASU Graduate Student, Can Xiao on the U.S. 60 (Superstition Freeway) a concrete roadway originally constructed over 30 years ago. The US 60 travels east from the I-10 through mostly residential areas and due to growth in the east valley, has been widened more than once. In the latest Design/Build project, the widening involved 12 miles of the freeway and due to the roughness of the freeway, ADOT called for resurfacing it with a oneinch overlay of AR OGFC.
     After months of construction, the first segment of the freeway was resurfaced in the late summer of 2002. Once the motorists hit the new surface, a phenomenon unfolded. ADOT and the Design/Build contractors were flooded with phone calls commending them on the new pavement. The citizens didn't stop there, they called radio talks shows, wrote letters to their newspaper editors who in turn wrote glowing editorials and the local government officials joined right in, calling for all freeways to be covered with this "rubberized" stuff.
And it is happening.

A QUALITY OF LIFE ISSUE
     In a recent article by the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG), which is funding the $34 million dollar project with their federal money, ADOT Director, Victor Mendez, talks about the project as a "quality of life issue." Mendez said, "We listened to our customers. We listened to people who live near our freeways; we listened to cities and to the drivers who use the freeways. A lot of people came together to make this happen." This agency response is one reason ADOT was awarded the RPA Outstanding Agency for 2003.
     By this July over 89 of the 152 miles will be resurfaced with Asphalt-Rubber. And the public support grows. In order to accomplish the resurfacing with as little interruption to the public as possible, ADOT closes the freeways on weekends and puts out public service announcements that the closure is for "rubberized asphalt." Does the public mind? The Arizona Republic, the state's largest newpaper, recently polled its readers on the freeway paving program asking "Is paving valley freeways with rubberized asphalt worth the expense and the temporary freeway closures necessary to complete the work? Of the respondents, 79% answered YES, 16% said NO and 5% were not sure. This is an amazing show of citizen appreciation!

ARIZONA AR PAVING CREWS CHEERED BY ONLOOKERS
     Another amazing example of public support was witnessed by RPA Past President, Mark Belshe, who is a Vice President/Asphalt-Rubber for FNF Construction of Tempe, Arizona. FNF, one of the nation's premier Asphalt- Rubber contractors, was paving the 51 freeway, named Piestewa Parkway after the brave Native American, Lori Piestewa who lost her life in Iraq. According to Belshe, the paving crews were approaching a pedestrian bridge on which a group of people had assembled. As the paver neared the bridge, the people broke into applause and cheered to the men and machines on the freeway! Mark said " FNF crews are used to public response to road work but it is usually on the "ugly" side, this is amazing that the people cheer and thank us when we are doing the Asphalt-Rubber resurfacing on the freeways."

"SNOWBIRDS" (winter visitors) TAKE THE STORY HOME
     Not just the Arizonans get excited, people from all over the country winter in Arizona and they too are noticing the quiet pavements. Ann Evans, Chairman of EER Limited of Hebron, Connecticut, who has a branch office in Scottsdale, said "On two occasions in the past year, I've had visitors and when driving on the 101 freeway both exclaimed "Wow, what made it so quiet all of a sudden" as we hit the section paved with rubber modified asphalt" " I loved telling them about rubber modified asphalt and the political campaign residents of the East Valley waged to ensure that all of the 101 is repaved in the next few years. They don't
seem to care about the other benefits such as better traction, improved safety, less downtime due the fast construction or even the substantial cost savings over an extended period, but they sure notice and remember noise improvement."
     Another winter resident from Missouri, Jim Kohoutek, called us after driving on the rubberized section of the 101 to find out what was on the pavement surface. He said, " I can't believe it, I thought my engine had stopped it was so quiet all of a sudden." Mr. Kohoutek lives in an area when the residents are so opposed to the high soundwalls being proposed by the Missouri DOT they are considering litigation. He requested material on the AR OGFC to take home to bolster their fight.
     Or a gentleman from Iowa who is on the Board of Directors of a country club bordered by an old concrete interstate which is so loud it disrupts the golfers. He requested information and talked of having his country club put up some money if the state would resurface the sections bordering the golf course with AR. There are many more who come, drive our quiet freeways and take the story home.
     They bolster the conclusions of the MAG article "Where the Rubber meets the Road" that while formal studies are necessary, the prevailing belief among local engineers and elected officials is that the pavement has already proven itself." It appears the public agrees.