Impact Assessment of Motorway Traffic Noise Using Visualized Noise Mapping Technique

The objective of this study is to analyze and assess the impact of traffic noise from newly expanded Bangkok-Chonburi Motorway, which links Bangkok-the capital of Thailand to Pattaya-the famous beach resort in the eastern seaboard of the country, with the utilization of visualized noise mapping technique in plan view and cross-section of this motorway. The newly expansion of main roadways of this motorway is to serve the higher demand of traffic flow on this highway section due to opening of the new Suvarnabhumi International Airport nearby this motorway. The high speed and higher volume on this motorway creates the higher traffic noise impact to the vicinity area around this motorway. Traffic noise data are collected on several locations along the side of motorway together with traffic characteristics in simultaneous basis. The physical dimensions of motorway are also measured. Motorway traffic noise model is then applied with all of the measured parameters in order to provide prediction results of traffic noise levels from this motorway, which shows a highly significant in the prediction results against the measured ones. This model is then used to estimate noise levels on the uniform grid platform around the study area for both in the plan view (horizontal plane) and crosssection (vertical plane) of the vicinity area around the motorway. From the analysis result, this newly expanded motorway create traffic noise level in Leq(1hr) index higher than the FHWA’s standard level of 72 dBA and 67 dBA for office building and residential housing respectively at the location of right-of-way of this motorway. In order to build the office buildings or residential houses without any barrier and window protection, the safe building line should be located at about 75 m or 190 m respectively from the right-of-way of this motorway. Key-Words: Motorway, Visualized noise mapping, Traffic noise, Plan view, Cross-section, Noise prediction, Motorway noise model, Traffic noise on building, Noise impact.