NCHRP 791 - Structure-borne Noise Case Study I-205

The Oregon Department of Transportation is planning to widen the Abernethy Bridge that provides a crossing for Interstate 205 over the Willamette River in the communities of Oregon City and West Linn. Noise-sensitive land uses are located on each side of the river with a park located on the north side of the crossing in Oregon City. On the southern side of the crossing, there are a number of single-family residences in the West Linn community, a multi-use path, and a historic site. Both of these clusters of noise sensitive land uses are impacted by traffic noise with and without the proposed roadway improvements and required analysis of noise abatement in the form of sound walls on the bridge. Harris Miller Miller & Hanson Inc. (HMMH) completed the predictions of traffic noise form the proposed improvements, which included analysis of structure-borne noise implementing the procedures identified in the National Cooperative Highway Research Program Report 791, Supplemental Guidance on the Application of FHWA's Traffic Noise Model (TNM). This paper describes this structure-borne noise analysis case study.