AEP Orange County Chapter

...to enhance, maintain and protect the quality of the natural and human environment.

The 3dB Myth: Applying Tiered Traffic Noise Thresholds and Mitigation Strategies
Date/Time
10/27/2022
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Pacific
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Event Description
OC AEP Lunch Program – October 27, 2022

The 3dB Myth: Applying Tiered Traffic Noise Thresholds and MItigation Strategies
 

Speakers: Josh Carman, Dana Lodico, and Deborah Jue

Topic Overview: Vehicular traffic is one of the most pervasive sources of environmental noise. A function of the total roadway volume, mix and speed of vehicles, time of day, distance from the roadway, and presence of intervening barriers; traffic noise can be the difference between a peaceful night’s sleep and another restless night. Traffic noise is more than just an inconvenience or annoyance, however; it has implications for health-based impacts and is a critical but often overlooked environmental justice and equity issue. Low-income housing units are frequently in older structures with low-quality windows and situated near roadways with increasing traffic volumes. Additionally, the development of highway projects historically divided and isolated many once-thriving minority communities and continue to disproportionately impact them. Most environmental consultants will be familiar with the use of 3 dBA (A-weighted decibel level) as a threshold for a potentially significant traffic noise increase. Less than 3 dBA? Well, it’s simply ‘undetectable,’ right? What if the projected heavy-duty truck mix on a roadway is higher than under existing conditions? This panel will discuss the use of tiered sets of thresholds that consider not just the overall increase-but also the existing and resulting ambient noise levels-to assess the significance of a permanent traffic noise increase.  Leading noise experts will discuss effective mitigation strategies such as sound barriers and berms (height, material types, shape, absorptive materials, and orientation) and quiet pavement (effectiveness, types, porosity, rubberized asphalt, and pavement joints). 1.0 CM credit available!
 
WHEN:
Thursday, October 27, 2022
12:00 PM to 1:00 PM
 
WHERE
Zoom Webinar
*Zoom link will be included in the confirmation email sent directly after registration; please check your Spam folder.*
 
QUESTIONS:
E-mail Oscar Escobar (Oscar.Escobar@mbakerintl.com), OCAEP Co-Vice President of Programs
 
 
About Our Speakers:
 
Josh Carman has 20 years of experience in acoustics and air quality and has participated in the environmental review and monitoring process for a diversity of projects in California, Washington, Nevada, and New York. Josh prepares noise, air quality/GHG and community health risk assessments for environmental impact studies (CEQA/NEPA) and technical studies using federal, state, and local guidelines. His experience includes complex project- and program-level analyses of general plan updates and specific plans; mixed-use development; traffic, transit, and rail; infrastructure; vibration-sensitive; industrial; long-term and remote construction noise and vibration monitoring; and underwater construction projects.

Dana Lodico has over two decades of experience in acoustics, including 17 years of CEQA and NEPA experience. She is a nationally recognized expert on quiet pavement, has conducted noise studies for a wide variety of land uses, and has led highway traffic noise studies throughout the US. She currently serves as a Vice President of the Institute of Noise Control Engineering (INCE) and Director at Large for International INCE (I-INCE). Dana is Board Certified by the Institute of Noise Control Engineering and a Registered Professional Engineer in the states of California and Colorado.
 
Deborah Jue has been with Wilson Ihrig since 1990 and is an integral part of the company’s management team. She also serves as a senior technical lead on highway noise models, environmental analyses for all types of projects, and planning for long-term construction noise and vibration. With over 30 years of experience addressing impacts related to highway noise, rail transit noise and vibration, and construction-related noise, hydroacoustics and vibration; Deborah has a keen interest in finding solutions and clearly communicating with affected stakeholders to achieve broad project support.
Location
Zoom Webinar
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