Asphalt-Rubber - Noise Reduction
Take a Drive on the Quiet Side!
Complaints of excessive noise are
becoming the most predominant in communities near major roadways.
In response to noise complaints, environmental
design engineers build expensive and unsightly walls to block
the noise out instead of turning it down at the source, the pavement
surface. Studies show that rolling tire noise accounts for over
75% of the noise generated from highways with vehicle speeds
of 60 mph.
But it's not the tires, it's the pavement!
Asphalt rubber surfaces can
reduce the noise at the source better than any other material
while maintaining excellent durability and long-term performance.
Properly constructed, these surfaces can be virtually maintenance
free for ten years or more.
It's a Quality of Life Issue.
Reducing the noise by three decibels is like cutting the traffic
in half or like doubling the distance from the source of noise.
Two feet of wall is equal to 1 dBA.
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Communities in
Arizona and California hear the difference. The AZ and CA
DOTs are participating in the Quiet Pavement Pilot Program and
have created noise profiles of roads using a close proximity
noise measuring device. Time after time,
Asphalt-Rubber roads are the quietest. Measurements show that
the residents in the Phoenix, AZ area have benefited the most
where the existing concrete pavements were the loudest (109 dBA)
and
then became the quietest (97 dBA) ever measured following a thin
asphalt rubber overlay. The tire noise dropped 12 dBA! But
that is only half the story. Asphalt rubber pavements soften
the pitch of noise frequencies that are the most irritating to
the ear. The chart on the left compares a regular asphalt
overlay to an asphalt-rubber overlay. That annoying tire whine
is at about the 1200 Hz frequency. Notice how that annoying frequency
is reduced by almost 10 dB. The citizens of
 Arizona liked it so much that
they demanded their city councils to give money to the DOT to
pave ALL of the freeways in Phoenix with rubber, resulting in
a 115 mile, $34 million project. Say goodbye to the tire
whine and drive in a quieter and cleaner environment. Why don't
you start a quiet pavement project in your community? Make some
noise to make it quiet. |
