Citation

Higgins JS, Barbel W. Transp. Res. Rec. 1984; 983: 27-36.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1984, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences USA, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) placed rumble strips near the north end of the Edens Expressway to alert drivers that they were approaching a signalized intersection. The intersection was a high accident location, and previous safety measures were not significantly effective in lowering the number or severity of the accidents. Many complaints about noise were received from adjacent property owners after the strips were placed. When a berm that was placed between the residents and the strips did not reduce the complaints, IDOT requested assistance from the Demonstration Projects Division of FHWA to study berm effectiveness and rumble strip noise. Two types of strip construction were compared, the formed and the cut types. Several different configurations were also analyzed. Outside measurements were taken at three sites, and inside noise measurements were taken from the tractor of a semitrailer unit. Vibration measurements were taken from the steering column of the truck. The results indicated that the formed type of strip provided better driver perception than did the cut type at all speeds tested. Outside noise did not significantly vary with the different types and configurations of the rumble strips. The strips appear to have reduced the number and severity of accidents at the Edens Expressway location.

Language: en

Keywords

HIGHWAY SYSTEMS; ACCIDENT PREVENTION - Efficiency; PAVEMENTS - Noise, Acoustic