Evaluation of the Federal Highway Administration's Traffic Noise Model

Abstract

This report documents a number of issues relative to the Federal Highway Administration's requirement that all state transportation agencies have switched to the Traffic Noise Model by April 1, 2000. The Georgia Department of Transportation uses a version of STAMINA that utilizes vehicle noise emission data specific to the state of Georgia. That model has shown consistently close agreement with measured sound levels over several years. This study was designed to first compare measured sound levels to data generated by both the Traffic Noise Model and STAMINA at the same location. After the measurement data were analyzed, both models were used to design four noise barriers on I-475 in Macon, Ga.