Mitigating external noise of transverse rumble strips and complaints from nearby neighborhoods

• Performance evaluation of traditional and modified transverse rumble strip designs. • Analyzing impact of transverse rumble strip design variations on external and in-vehicle noise levels. • Noise measurements followed AASHTO continuous-flow traffic time-integrated method and SAE J1477 standard. • Shorter and shallower design reduced external noise and provided adequate in-vehicle noise. This study conducted field measurements to analyze the impact of transverse rumble strip design variations on their generated noise levels. The field measurements were conducted following the AASHTO continuous-flow traffic time-integrated method and SAE J1477 standard for external and in-vehicle noise measurements, respectively. The findings of this field study illustrate that a shorter and shallower transverse rumble strip design on an asphalt pavement was able to reduce all external sound level descriptors by an average of 3 % to 8 %. This shorter and shallower design was able to generate adequate in-vehicle noise level increases that satisfy the NCHRP recommendations of 3–15 dBA to alert inattentive drivers. These research findings provide State Departments of Transportation with new knowledge on the performance of shorter and shallower transverse rumble strips and their ability to mitigate external noise levels and related noise complaints while maintaining their roadway safety benefits for the travelling public.