FIELD STUDY OF A VARIABLE-HEIGHT HIGHWAY-NOISE BARRIER

This study describes the design, construction, and evaluation of a variable-height highway-noise barrier. The barrier was constructed along a 1000-ft-long segment of Interstate 93 in Andover, Massachusetts. A test plan was prepared, and measurements were taken at a number of points behind the barrier and at an adjacent open site by personnel using the DOT-TSC Mobile Noise Laboratory. Data were collected over a series of eight tests, each extending over a two- or three-day period, to determine the noise reduction provided by barriers of different heights with reflecting and absorbing surfaces. Test results are presented and compared with predictions. Based on the data, it concluded that existing design charts are inadequate for predicting the performance of highway-noise barriers. The design-chart corrections for finite-barrier length is believed to be too large. /Author/\n