
Highway 17 Noise Impact Assessment
Assessing the noise impact on a TransCanada major highway
Ministry of Transport Ontario
|
Hewitson Creek, Ontario
|
2021-2031
Critical work completed on the main interprovincial transportation corridor
Realignment of 3.8 km of highway
Proposed mitigations to minimize noise levels in key residential areas
Challenges
- The Ministry of Transport Ontario addressed the substandard alignment and critical rehabilitation needs for Highway 17, the primary route of the TransCanada highway.
- It was necessary to evaluate the change in noise environment surrounding the area both during and following construction work on the highway.
- Approximately 3.8 km of the highway would be realigned closer to residential properties, necessitating an extensive noise assessment to determine potential noise impacts and mitigation measures.
Solutions
- Assessed the operational noise impact of the realigned highway based on projected road volumes 10 years following construction.
- Employed CadnaA (computer-aided noise abatement) software using the TNM 2.5 model in accordance with NPC-306 guidelines for the assessment.
- Analyzed changes in the noise environment for noise-sensitive areas within the realignment study area.
Highlights
- Leveraged impact assessment results to inform noise mitigation methods and rule out the need for noise barriers.
- Effectively mapped out significant changes in noise environment along the contour of the highway, determining no overlap of community receptors to the south side of the road.
- Evaluated noise levels from a railway between the local community and the realigned highway.
Project numbers
10 years expected to complete the realignment project3.8 km of highway realigned near residential areas