Evaluation on overlapping barriers design using SoundPLAN

Traffic noise comes along with road developments. To overcome traffic noise problems, noise barriers, low noise pavements, low noise vehicles, traffic control measures, and proper land uses have been proposed. Being considered to have great benefits of easy installation, better noise reduction performance, and ability to soothe annoyed residents, noise barriers have become the most prevalent noise control measures adopted by most agencies. However, any defects in noise barriers may allow unnecessary noise propagation and thus degrade their performance. Consequently, noise barriers should be constructed and maintained with care to uphold their designed noise reduction capability. Overlapping barriers are sometimes necessary for maintenance or community access. There is apparently a need to evaluate the effect of the performance of overlapping barriers. Inappropriate design may cause severity of degradation of acoustical effectiveness. Acquiring the appropriate parameters of the overlapping barrier design will serve as a reference for decision makers to properly allocate the gap location and select the sound design. This analysis focuses on the evaluation of barrier overlapping design and receiver regions in the vicinity of an overlap gap using the SoundPLAN software package. The contributions from the various parameters such as materials, barrier height, gap, and overlapping sizes were investigated.