Effects and Control of Highway Traffic Noise

Noise from highway traffic has continually changing characteristics and must, therefore, be described in statistical terms. Useful statistical parameters for describing the noise from freely flowing highway traffic include LFR°S10TDTF and LFR°S50TDTF, the A-weighted sound pressure levels exceeded 10 and 50% of the time, respectively. These parameters take into account the three qualities of time-varying noise required for a subjective evaluation of noise, i.e., magnitude, temporal characteristics, and frequency content (i.e., distribution of sound energy with respect to frequency). This paper offers a broad introduction to highway traffic noise and to the effects of design and vehicle operational parameters on the noise.