An application of Next Generation Concrete Surface texture to an existing concrete pavement

Between 2011 and 2013, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) installed New Generation Concrete Surface (NGCS) along a stretch of State Route 113 (SR 113). In the fall of 2013, this pavement was evaluated using the on-board sound intensity (OBSI) testing method. NGCS is a flush ground and grooved surface developed at Purdue University's Herrick Laboratory in 2004. This innovative, low noise grinding texture has minimal positive texture with good microtexture, which was intended to reduce noise levels at low frequencies, and has great macrotexture, which was intended to reduce noise levels at high frequencies. To evaluate the acoustic longevity of the pavement, OBSI testing was again completed in early 2023, and the long-term results are discussed in this paper. Additionally, the acoustic longevity of the NGCS pavement is compared to the long-term OBSI results collected between 2003 and 2010 on a ground concrete surface installed along Mojave SR 58. In 2022, NGCS was applied on a section of the U.S. 101 Freeway in Carpinteria in Southern California. The results of these measurements and the noise reductions achieved are also presented.