Traffic Noise and Vibration Technical Experience

TRAFFIC NOISE AND VIBRATION TECHNICAL EXPERIENCE

Prairie Engineers staff has personally been involved in numerous highway traffic noise studies throughout the state of Illinois, and have experience in reviewing rail traffic noise and vibration studies in addition to highway traffic noise. Code of Federal Regulation (23) 771 and 772 discuss environmental impacts and procedures required to be followed by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). These procedures include analyzing noise from highway and rail traffic, and vibration from rail. Further clarification is provided within technical memorandum produced by the respective agencies: FTA – Transit Noise and Vibration Impact Assessment; and FHWA Traffic Noise Model Technical Manual. The Illinois Department of Transportation has produced the ‘Highway Traffic Noise Assessment Manual’ to serve as a guidance document for performing highway traffic noise analysis in Illinois.

The guidance documents define the procedures to identify the impact criteria (FTA) or abatement criteria (FHWA) which represent the threshold of an impact and the subsequent consideration of mitigation measures. The thresholds define when an impact occurs, but do not represent mitigation design criteria. Methodologies for analysis must conform to the FTA Noise and Vibration Assessment for rail and FHWA Traffic Noise Model (TNM) 2.5. Mitigation of noise and vibration impacts is based on whether a potential mitigation option is both reasonable (economically viable) and feasible (technically viable).

Project experience includes the evaluation of a noise and vibration assessment for the new passenger rail service between Chicago and the Quad Cities and the following highway traffic noise studies:

John Deere Road (IL Route 5) roadway improvements in Moline (IDOT District 2) for reconfiguration of interchange and intersections over an approximately three mile long corridor through a dense commercial and residential area,
US Route 20 Rockford Bypass (IDOT District 2) which incorporated an interchange with IL Route 2 on the southwest side of Rockford,
West Main Street overpass of a BNSF rail line in Galesburg (IDOT District 2) within a historic district west of downtown,
Kellogg/Seminary streets reconfiguration and overpass of a BNSF rail line (IDOT District 2) in the downtown historic district of Galesburg,
IL Route 29 widening project from Gardner Lane to McCluggage Bridge (IDOT District 4) between the Illinois River and adjacent bluff in Peoria,
Pioneer Parkway Extension from Allen Road to IL Route 6 (IDOT District 4) through predominately agricultural land as part of control urban growth for the City of Peoria,
Veterans Drive Extension from Broadway in Pekin to Fisher Road in Creve Couer and inclusive of a new interchange with I-474 in Peoria County (IDOT District 4),
I-57/70 improvements and lane additions (IDOT District 7) from the North to South Tri-Level in Effingham, and
New Rieder Road Interchange with I-64 (IDOT District 8) to provide access to the north side of Scott Air Force Base.

Click here for other Environmental Assessments and Environmental Impact Statement projects
Click here for other DOT’s and State Government projects
Click here for other projects performed with A/E firms

OUR PROJECT EXPERIENCE