Busy four-lane highways create noise and NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi works hard to minimise disruption to neighbours – both during construction and once the road is operational.
We engage with landowners long before a project starts, so they understand the impacts of a highway near their home.
The Belfast to Pegasus Motorway and Woodend Bypass project needs to meet strict obligations around noise – especially to residential properties built before the highway was given consent. Decibel levels are set in the project consent conditions and must be met when the highway opens to traffic. Noise monitoring is done to make sure of that.
There are various tools for moderating road noise, and a quieter asphalt surfacing is the main one.
Another option is to build noise walls adjacent to the highway or to carry out building modifications to existing dwellings to reduce the noise inside.
People who are used to a quiet rural environment may find the motorway noise more than they expected. In the past, other motorway sections (e.g. the Christchurch Northern Corridor) have opened on chipseal which is much noisier and required 12 months of traffic before the final asphalt surface could be applied.
Innovations in roading technology mean that low-noise asphalt can now be applied before the road opens to traffic.
In another measure to reduce noise on the new motorway, rumble strips will not be laid within in 100m of houses.
New subdivisions that are proposed near the motorway designation need to provide their own noise mitigation to achieve the standards which are also included in the new District Plan.
You can find a lot more about the NZTA policies, plans and guidelines for noise and vibration.
