Integrating strategic noise management into the Operation and maintenance of national road networks

The aim of this programme was to integrate strategic noise management into the operation and maintenance of national road networks in a holistic manner. The programme focused on the following four sub-themes: Noise assessment and management strategies; Noise mitigation measures integrated with national roads; Future visions for the management of noise on national road networks; Strengthening/developing holistic pavement management systems.

The end of programme report for Call 2012 Noise is available here.

The programme funded four projects.

Quietness and Economics Stimulate Infrastructure Management (QUESTIM)

The main objective of QUESTIM was to develop procedures that enable the implementation of the acoustic performance of road infrastructure into asset management systems for road infrastructure. The project addressed this objective through the following outputs:

• A report on the performance of low noise surfaces over their lifetime with statistical results in urban, extra-urban and highway situations, for several types of porous, dense asphalt and concrete surfaces.
• A guideline for scheduled measuring the performance of barriers and pavements on a regular base based on existing procedures such as ISO 11819-1 and -2 (SPB and CPX methods) and EN 1793 (barrier performance) and additional visual inspection
• A procedure for implementing the effect of the pavement in the CNOSSOS calculation procedure and an estimation on the effect of future vehicle and tyre technology on the effect of the road surface on the vehicle emission
• Development of a cost/benefit procedure for noise mitigation measures based on the procedure developed by the EU-Noise Working Group on Health and Socio-Economic Aspects (WG-HSEA) and a procedure for life cycle costing and examples how it can be used in decision making systems;
• Data and procedures to fit pavement and barrier performance in pavement management systems and at a higher level, asset management systems.

Project results:

• QUESTIM Project Description
• D2.2 Modelling of Acoustic Aging of Road Surfaces
• D4.1 Assessing the Durability of Acoustic Barriers on NRA Networks

Developing Innovative Solutions for Traffic Noise Control in Europe (DISTANCE)

The objective of DISTANCE was to provide the National Road Authorities in Europe with informative guidelines to improve the optimisation of traffic noise abatement on main road networks. These guidelines will help them to improve the quality of their noise maps. The project outlined which noise asset information should ideally be gathered and with what precision. These data can then serve as input for the CNOSSOS-EU calculation scheme that is expected to be used for future mapping under the Environmental Noise Directive. Accurate noise maps will also allow more reliable identification of areas where noise abatement is required.

Project Results:

• DISTANCE Project Description
• D2.1 Data requirements for future noise mapping and action planning 
• D3.1 State-of-the-art on secondary functions for pavements and noise screens 
• D4.2 Future Potential Traffic Scenarios 
• D5.1 Critical guidelines to the effective implementation of alternative “smart” noise mitigation measures
• D6.1 Perception and awareness of noise mitigation measures
• D7.1 Developing Innovative Solutions for TrAffic Noise Control in Europe

Optimised Noise Assessment and Management Guidance for National Roads (ON-AIR)

The objective of the project is to develop tools and guidelines to facilitate the integration of noise abatement into the three most common planning and management situations of National Road Administrations (NRAs):

• Planning of new roads and highways;
• Planning of reconstruction and enlargement of existing roads and highways;
• Maintenance and management of existing roads and highways.

Project results:

• ON-AIR Project Description
• Investigation of noise planning procedures and tools
• Assessment of traffic noise in complex situations
• ON-AIR Examples 
• ON-AIR Guidance Book on the Integration of Noise in Road Planning

Future Operational impacts of Electric Vehicles on national European Roads (FOREVER)

FOREVER aimed to provide data and information focussing on three issues:

• The identification of the noise emission levels from electric vehicles (powertrain and rolling noise components) at speeds representative of NRA roads, including the impacts of added alert sounds and the development of input data for the CNOSSOS-EU noise model,
• The noise emission from low-noise tyres and tyres used with electric vehicles, and
• An estimation of the noise impacts of electric vehicles and low-noise tyres on NRA roads, based on different fleet compositions and different take-up rates of electric vehicles.

Project Results to be uploaded shortly.