Let’s face it, we all love the convenience of our cars and the freedom they provide us. The ability to get up and go whenever we want is a luxury that we all take for granted. And roadways are what it all possible. But they can be quite noisy at times. If you have ever lived near a busy road or highway, you know the volumes they can achieve when you are trying to sleep at night. So what causes all this noise? And what can be done to reduce it?

Causes of Noise

As with a lot of things, there are a number of factors that lead to a noisy roadway. It is the combination of these factors that really determines how loud a road can truly get. These factors include:

Heavy Vehicles

It comes as no surprise that large trucks and tractor-trailers are the source of a large amount of noise. Their sheer size and weight are enough to convince anyone that these can be quite loud when barreling down the road.

Number Of Vehicles

Another factor to look at is the number of vehicles on the road. It goes without saying that the more vehicles there are, the more potential noise there will be. As each vehicle’s tires travel along the roadway, plus the noise of each engine, and any additional noise like car horns, this is one of the greatest causes of noise in this setting.

Speed Of Vehicles

In addition to the factors above, speed is another way that roads give off noise. You may have noticed that as your car goes faster it becomes more difficult to hear the sounds around you. Some cars even have a built-in feature that raises and lowers the volume of the radio based on the speed of the vehicle. It should come as no shock then that the faster vehicles travel, the more noise they produce.

Solutions To Noise

There are a number of ways that city planners and homeowners can effectively minimize the noise coming from nearby roadways. Of course, ensuring that vehicles have proper measures in place falls on vehicle owners as well. These measures include mufflers, having sufficient tire tread, and engine enclosures are some ways to mitigate noise from the vehicles themselves.

Land Development

When planning a new road, city planners and land developers will consider proper distancing from the road to minimize noise bleed. In addition, walls and landscaping have been effectively utilized to damped road noise.

Road Design

Another way to minimize noise is to ensure that the road is as flat and smooth as possible.

Asphalt

Here we come to the really interesting part. Roadways are becoming even quieter thanks to the advancements made in asphalt paving. Indeed, some new types of asphalt have been shown to be as quiet at 100 ft away as other types are at 200 ft away.

Recycled Tires

Another advancement in asphalt paving is the inclusion of ground up bits of recycled tires. This so-called rubberized asphalt has proven to reduce noise by as much as 90% and is an eco-friendly solution as an added bonus.