Highway 17 Noise Impact Assessment

Critical work completed on the main interprovincial transportation corridor

Realignment of 3.8 km of highway

Proposed mitigations to minimize noise levels in key residential areas

Challenges

The Ministry of Transport Ontario addressed the substandard alignment and critical rehabilitation needs for Highway 17, the primary route of the TransCanada highway.
It was necessary to evaluate the change in noise environment surrounding the area both during and following construction work on the highway.
Approximately 3.8 km of the highway would be realigned closer to residential properties, necessitating an extensive noise assessment to determine potential noise impacts and mitigation measures.

Assessed the operational noise impact of the realigned highway based on projected road volumes 10 years following construction.
Employed CADNAA using the TNM 2.5 model in accordance with NPC-306 guidelines for the assessment.
Analyzed changes in the noise environment for noise sensitive areas within the realignment study area.

Leveraged impact assessment results to inform noise mitigation methods and rule out the need for noise barriers.
Effectively mapped out significant changes in noise environment along the contour of the highway, determining no overlap of community receptors to the south side of the road.
Evaluated noise levels from a railway between the local community and the realigned highway.