ACRYLITE® Soundstop Reduces Persistent Highway Noise
Faced with growing community concerns over highway noise, the Texas Department of Transportation needed a solution that balanced sound reduction with visual appeal. With ACRYLITE® Soundstop, they found a transparent barrier that delivered both performance and peace of mind.
Community Concerns Spark Action
Soon after construction along Interstate 30 near downtown Dallas had been completed, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) began receiving complaints from residents in the surrounding neighborhoods about loud traffic noise.
Over the next decade, TxDOT received numerous complaints and struggled to find a way to minimize traffic noise. Despite many initiatives to reduce noise levels, community discontent grew until Armtec Infrastructures Inc. presented TxDOT with a solution—clear, acrylic noise barriers created by POLYVANTIS called ACRYLITE® Soundstop.
Balancing Noise Reduction and Scenic Views
The primary challenge for TxDOT was to find a way to reduce the high noise level for nearby homeowners while staying within budget and not blocking the view of nearby Stevens Park. At the heart of the problem was the existing eight-foot-high noise barrier, which was too short to provide sufficient noise reduction on I-30. The only solution was to increase the height of the barrier to 18 feet.
Structural and Community Constraints
“We chose ACRYLITE® Soundstop for its proven performance, transparency, and long-term weather stability,” said Manuel Trevino of CTR
A thorough analysis of the existing noise barrier revealed that the wall could not be raised using the same concrete construction materials because the weight of the additional concrete would be too much for the foundation to support. It would also be too costly to tear down the existing wall to rebuild a taller one.
In addition, residents of the local community opposed an 18-foot opaque wall as they did not want to lose sight of Stevens Park or, as they put it, live next to the “Berlin Wall.”
Searching for the Right Solution
Due to these constraints, TxDOT tried various solutions, including quiet pavements, asphalt mixes, and attaching noise-absorbing panels to the opposite side of the highway—all without adequate success. The possibility of extending the height of the noise barriers without negative impacts on the community became a reality when Mark McIlheran, P.E., consulting engineer for Armtec Infrastructures Inc., introduced ACRYLITE® Soundstop to George Reeves, Traffic Noise Analysis and Abatement Coordinator for TxDOT.
Testing ACRYLITE® Soundstop
“We needed to find a noise-mitigating solution because we were receiving complaints from our residents due to traffic noise on Interstate-30,” Reeves said. “After experimenting with various applications, we found that ACRYLITE® Soundstop was the best option. Not only were the barriers successful in reducing noise, but the material's transparency also didn’t block the view of Stevens Park, which was very important to residents.”
“The combination of these benefits led us to use the barriers on an experimental basis, something we would not have been comfortable doing without adequate documentation concerning long-term weather stability and the ability to talk with other states that have used these barriers previously.”
Proven Results
Noise measurements conducted by the Center for Transportation Research (CTR) at the University of Texas in the neighborhood directly behind where the ACRYLITE® Soundstop XT noise barriers were installed indicated significant noise reduction.
“It’s definitely quieter,” said Manuel Trevino of CTR. “I set up recording equipment near I-30 to collect noise data, and the people I have spoken with are happy with the new walls. They like that they can see through them, and the noise has been reduced.”
A Clear Solution for Communities
“ACRYLITE® Soundstop is a clear noise barrier material that preserves the aesthetics of a nearby community, which is something essential to residents,” said Sanford LLC, noise barriers segment manager at POLYVANTIS.
“Designers seek to preserve views while structural engineers strive to keep the noise barriers within a particular weight limit to ensure safety. What made this project a success was that we could work with Armtec and create a customized barrier attached to the existing wall, which was very cost-effective for TxDOT.”
Location: Dallas, Texas
