We have had many requests to develop an educational tool to present the fundamentals of sound and highway traffic noise. The Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (VNTSC), Acoustics Facility, in support of the FHWA, has produced a video entitled, "Acoustics and Your Environment - the Basics of Sound and Highway Traffic Noise." The video is approximately 48 minutes long and has two nearly equal parts. It is intended for an audience that desires a thorough, detailed explanation of the subject matter, e.g., traffic noise analysts or residents immediately adjacent to a proposed noise barrier.

Part 1 covers the basics of sound, including the following topics:

• Sound waves,
• Frequency,
• Noise,
• Sound pressure level,
• Sound perception, and
• Noise descriptors.

Part 2 covers the basics of highway traffic noise, including the following topics:

• Highway traffic noise,
• Source/path/receiver,
• Sound sources,
• Noise effects, and
• Sound propagation.

We hope the attached video will be useful to FHWA field offices and State Departments of Transportation (DOTs). The attached copy of the script for the video should be valuable as a source reference for the fundamentals information. Along with a copy of this memorandum, one copy of the video and script is being distributed directly by the VNTSC to all State DOTs.

If you have any questions concerning the video, you may contact Bob Armstrong or Steve Ronning at (202) 366-2073 or (202) 366-2078, respectively.

(Original signed by)
James M. Shrouds

2 Attachments

cc: Resource Center Directors