ROADSIDE BARRIER EFFECTIVENESS, NOISE MEASUREMENT PROGRAM

A field noise measurement program was conducted to assess the performance of a variable height highway noise barrier with and without an acoustic lining material. The barrier site on Interstate I-93 in Andover MA was located adjacent to an acoustically similar unobstructed site. The noise emissions from a common stream of vehicular traffic were measured at both sites simultaneously and compared to evaluate the performance of the barrier. A 1000-foot-long barrier at effective heights of 2.8, 6.8, 10.8 and 14.8 feet was measured and evaluated. Included in the report is the statistical noise data from fourteen measuring systems for each barrier configuration along with spectral data, traffic information and meteorological conditions.