The Advancement of Traffic Noise Modeling in the U.S.

Abstract Description: As traffic volumes continued to increase, traffic noise became the greatest source of annoyance due to it widespread prevalence and continuous nature. Traffic noise has also been associated with negative health impacts such as sleep disruption, stress, and cardiovascular problems. The problem continued to increase and in the 1960s, mathematical modeling of traffic noise advanced to predict the levels and impacts to nearby locations with an emphasis on sensitive areas. The Federal Highway Administration became involved and was later required to play an active role and now noise modeling has become a standard procedure during highway design. At first models were very crude and computers were not readily available resulting in using manual calculations and nomographs. Some main frame models were available but even these were mostly crude approximations. Continued development occurred and this paper presents how the modeling process evolved and highlights key concepts that were introduced to evaluate and describe traffic noise. The paper highlights key individuals that played a part in the process. The presentation will begin with a description of early models and continue through the development process up to the most current model being used in the United States, the FHWA Traffic Noise Model (TNM).