Noise comparison of different types of pavement inside highway tunnels

Abstract

To mitigate noise pollution in highway tunnels and improve their acoustic environment, this study conducted on-site noise measurements in two tunnels, using open-area pavement as a control group, to analyze and compare the noise characteristics of different pavement types. Three pavement types were evalu-ated: dense-graded asphalt concrete (DAC), single-layer porous asphalt (PA), and double-layer PA. The re-sults indicate that roadside noise levels inside tunnels are significantly higher than those in open areas, with an average increase of over 10 dBA. Noise attenuation performance is poorer in long tunnels. For PA pave-ments, roadside noise levels are significantly reduced, with an average decrease of over 3.5 dBA. PA pave-ments also exhibit faster noise attenuation. The application of PA pavements can effectively enhance the acoustic environment within tunnels.