Modelling of Noise Pollution Due to Heterogeneous Highway Traffic in India

Compared to homogeneous traffic flow, traffic speed variation is drastic with the involvement of heterogeneity. With an intent of studying the negative upshot of fluctuating speeds of heterogeneous traffic on the environment, the current paper is the outcome of the research done on various highways located in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in India, with an objective of developing a comprehensive noise prediction model by taking into account the traffic and roadway factors. Quantified noise levels [Leq (dBA) and L10 (dBA)] revealed that for the traffic speed variation of 10 to 95 kmph, the traffic noise levels were significantly affected by the variations in the proportion of the vehicle. On a specific note, the proposed model can be effectively used for the highway traffic noise prediction especially for the heterogeneous traffic, as the difference between the measured and predicted noise levels are within 1 to 10 dB (A).