LIFE project Cool & Low Noise Asphalt: monitoring the acoustic performance of low noise pavements in the city center of Paris

In 2012, the City of Paris launched an experiment on a 200 meters section of the Paris ring road to test low noise pavements and their acoustic and mechanical durability over time, in a context of heavy road traffic. Bruitparif maintained a permanent noise measurement station to monitor the acoustic efficiency of the pavement over several years. Follow-ups have recently been implemented by Bruitparif in the vicinity of dwellings near major road infrastructures crossing the Ile-de-France territory, such as the A4 and A6 motorways. Today, for ring roads and motorways with traffic speed limits of 70 and 90 km/h respectively, the benefits of using low noise pavements is demonstrated. It is now interesting to study the contribution of low noise pavements in downtown areas with speed limits of 50 km/h or less. As part of the European LIFE "Cool & Low Noise Asphalt" project led by the city of Paris, in which Bruitparif is a partner, three innovative asphalt pavement formulas are being tested to fight noise pollution and global warming on three heavily exposed Parisian sites. Asphalt mixes combine acoustic, thermal, mechanical properties and durability. This article presents the latest results.