What? They Are Building A New Highway Next To You?
Maybe you knew, or maybe you didn’t, that a highway or road could be built right next to your property. Now you know why your property was cheaper than others in the neighborhood. Don’t let that fret you. You can live with it, especially with a highway sound barrier wall. In bigger cities, people drive by them every day on the highway.
So you are thinking, “What does a highway sound barrier wall” do for me? The chances are, if they are building a new road next to your property, this is to alleviate traffic from another road. This means cars and trucks passing by and creating noise around your noise that was not there before. Putting up a sound barrier wall will help with the newly added noise.
The United States government has invested millions in highway sound barrier walls. They help alleviate hearing impairment, from loud traffic, as well as stress, which can cause high blood pressure. So as noted, this will help residents deal with unwelcome new noise levels.
Another benefit to having a wall built, is safety. Traffic accidents happen all the time. With increased road traffic, more accidents.
Cars and car parts can land in yards, or unfortunately through houses. The walls keep that from happening. The walls also keep strangers from the road from wandering onto properties, which decreases theft and vandalism.
A sound barrier wall reflects the noise from traffic. It is called transmission loss. The level of transmission loss rises with varying types of materials used for the wall. The higher the loss, the better it is for the homeowners on the opposite side. Wood, glass, concrete, plastics, aluminum, steel, and more are used.
There are different levels in wood materials that reflect the loss. It also depends on the thickness of said wood too. Cedar reflects anywheAdding aluminum to woods, increases re from 15 to 22 dB, while Pine does 18-23, as well as Redwood, and plywood. Adding aluminum to said woods increases dB’s to 21-23 loss.
Metals, glass, and concrete, lead to the highest loss of transmissions dB’s. The highest amount that can be created is with stucco on metal lath, which is a type of concrete masonry. Concrete masonry is the most widely used sound barrier wall used, as it is the most effective. It is also the easiest to work with, in terms of styling and color varieties. Certain areas must adhere to local zoning enforcement, therefore you can change the wall colors according to the rules.
Is this something that the typical homeowner can do themselves? While everyone likes to be a “DIY” master, this is not one that should be done by anyone who is not a professional. First of all, most zoning enforcement has rules and regulations to follow, regarding heights, and thicknesses. The wall has to be guaranteed to stay upright indefinitely. This is for the safety of people on both sides.
The ground also has to be prepared properly before the wall being built.Construction engineers are usually sought out a good bit of time before construction can begin. They determine the stability of the land, and what may need to be added, in order for the wall to be stable. Permits must be acquired, and then inspections will be carried out throughout the whole process.
Once the wall is completed, homeowners can go about landscaping around the walls, to incorporate it into their yards. Embrace it, instead of hating it!