Measurement and Modelling of Diurnal Road Traffic Noise within Makurdi Metropolis, Benue State, Nigeria

The acknowledgement of road traffic noise as a major environmental pollutant has spurred the formulation of models to predict road traffic noise using fundamental variables. This study aims to modify and assess the efficacy of certain empirical models in predicting equivalent continuous noise levels in Makurdi metropolis, utilizing specific traffic flow and meteorological parameters. Measurements were conducted at two roundabouts and two junctions within Makurdi metropolis from November to December, 2022. The traffic flow and meteorological parameters were fitted to the continuous noise level data using a nonlinear multivariate regression technique, and the validation metrics were computed to determine which model performed best. The results of noise levels indicated that the mean Leq values across the study locations ranged from 68.65 ± 1.67 to 70.72 ± 0.90 dBA. These noise levels surpassed the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency’s recommended threshold of 60 dBA by 8.65 to 10.72 dBA. Modelling results revealed that all the models performed well; however, Model-Leq3 exhibited an outstanding performance with the highest R2 value of 0.9999 at Wurukum Roundabout. Model-Leq3 is therefore recommended for predicting road traffic noise in Makurdi metropolis and other Nigerian cities.