Impacts of the replacement of distressed pavements by low noise pavements - a case study in Portugal

BRISA is employing efforts to evaluate the pavement influence as a factor of source noise reduction, while studying forms of adjusting the applicability of the CNOSSOS noise prediction method to the reality of the concession road network, in order to comply with European directives about Environmental Noise evaluation and management. This Project evaluates the environmental noise effects of replacing a wearing course of Porous and Betuminous Asphalt at end-of-life for a course of SMA12 and new Betuminous Asphalt. Two methodologies were applied to evaluate Tire-Pavement noise, (i) through Statistical Pass-By and (ii) Close Proximity methods. Using these methodologies, it was possible to evaluate the effect of the intervention and the evolution of the noise in the first few months of the exploration of the layers and to monitor noise performance of the pavements during its entire lifetime. Brisa is challenged to have better pavements knowledge to extend CNOSSOS pavement library and update noise models.