To better understand and address the effects of noise on our communities and environment, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) participates in a variety of noise research and monitoring efforts.
Quieter pavement research
The Materials Lab at WSDOT has been evaluating new types of pavements that might reduce freeway noise at the source - from tires as they roll across the pavement. View our studies on quieter pavement.
Rumble strip reports
Noise from vehicles passing over rumble strips is a major source of complaints from residents living adjacent to highways in Washington state. Results suggest that some designs have lower exterior sound levels and sufficient interior sound levels.
Evaluation of Current Centerline Rumble Strip Design(s) to Reduce Roadside Noise and Promote Safety – This project evaluated wayside noise levels from various centerline rumble strip designs to determine overall sound levels and 1/3-octave band frequencies. However, the effects of specific design variables on exterior noise levels were inconclusive and suggest that interactions among variables contribute to exterior sound levels.
Pile driving reports
The lists below include research reports on different pile driving methods and monitoring reports from past WSDOT projects. Reports are organized in three categories:
- Airborne Vibratory Technical Memo (WSDOT, 2010) (pdf 748 kb) – Memorandum describing airborne noise levels from vibratory driving of steel piles at Vashon, Wahkiakum and Keystone Ferry Terminal
- Anacortes Ferry Terminal Vibratory Report (WSDOT, 2007) (pdf 751 kb) – Monitoring report on the vibratory pile installation of steel and plastic on steel piles at Anacortes Ferry terminal.
- Anacortes Ferry Terminal Pile Driving Report (WSDOT, 2007) (pdf 1,517 mb) – Monitoring report on the impact of steel pile installation at Anacortes Ferry Terminal.
- Bainbridge Ferry Terminal Pile Driving Report (WSDOT, 2005) (pdf 3,421 kb) – Monitoring report on the impact of steel pile installation at Bainbridge Ferry Terminal.
- Cape Disappointment Pile Driving Report (WSDOT, 2006) (pdf 2,809 kb) – Monitoring report on use of pile caps for impact driving of steel piles in Puget Sound.
- Colman Dock Test Pile Project 2016 (WSDOT, 2016) (pdf 2.7 Mb) – Monitoring report on 24- and 30-inch impact-driven steel piles, includes airborne measurements.
- Coupleville Ferry Terminal Timber Towers Preservation Project Report (WSDOT, 2017) (pdf 1.8 Mb) – Monitoring report on impact driving of 24-inch steel pile, includes airborne measurements.
- Eagle Harbor Maintenance Facility Technical Memo (WSDOT, 2005) (pdf 34 kb) -- Monitoring report on impact pile driving of steel piles at Eagle Harbor Maintenance Facility.
- Eagle Harbor Maintenance Facility Pile Driving Report (Jasco, 2005) (pdf 562 kb) – Monitoring report on the particle velocity generated by impact pile driving of steel piles at the Eagle Harbor Maintenance Facility.
- Edmonds Ferry Terminal Vibratory Technical Memo (WSDOT, 2011) (pdf 139 kb) -- Monitoring report on vibratory pile driving of steel piles at the Edmonds Ferry Terminal.
- Edmond-Kingston: Vibratory Pile Reset Comparison Report (WSDOT, 2017) (pdf 1.0 Mb) – Monitoring report on vibratory extraction and reset of 30-inch piles to determine of operation is quiter than typical vibratory driving.
- Friday Harbor Ferry Terminal Report (WSDOT, 2005) (pdf 5,068 kb) – Monitoring report on impact pile driving of steel piles using air, diesel and hydraulic hammers and different bubble curtain configurations at Friday Harbor Ferry Terminal.
- Keystone Ferry Terminal Vibratory Report (WSDOT, 2007) (pdf 640 kb) – Monitoring report on vibratory installation of steel piles at keystone Ferry Terminal.
- Mukilteo Ferry Terminal Boring Noise Technical Memo (WSDOT, 2007) (pdf 190 kb) – Noise monitoring report on boring operation north of the Mukilteo Ferry Terminal.
- Mukilteo Ferry Terminal Test Pile Project Report (WSDOT, 2007) (pdf 2,247 kb) – Noise monitoring report for underwater and airborne noise from impact pile driving of steel and concrete piles using Temporary Noise Attenuation Devices (TNAPS).
- Mukilteo Ferry Terminal Test Pile Project Report (Jasco, 2007) (pdf 650 kb) – Noise monitoring report for the underwater noise and background sound levels at distance from the impact test pile project north of the Mukilteo Ferry Terminal.
- Port Townsend Timber Pile Removal (WSDOT, 2011) (pdf 129 kb) – Monitoring report of vibratory removal of timber piles at Port Townsend Ferry Terminal.
- Port Townsend Test Pile Report (WSDOT, 2010) (pdf 893) – Monitoring report of vibratory and impact pile installation of steel piles at Port Townsend Ferry Terminal.
- Seattle Ferry Terminal Batter Pile Report (WSDOT, 2012) (pdf 637 kb) – Monitoring report of a single battered steel pile at Seattle Ferry Terminal.
- Vashon Test Pile Report (WSDOT, 2010) (pdf 2,967 kb) -- Monitoring report of impact pile driving of steel piles with modified TNAP at Vashon Ferry Terminal.
- Vashon Ferry Terminal Vibratory Report (WSDOT, 2010) (pdf 202 kb) – Monitoring report of vibratory installation of steel piles at Vashon Ferry Terminal.
- Vashon Test Pile Project 2016 (WSDOT, 2016) (pdf 1.9 Mb) – Pile driving monitoring report of double walled and mandrel test piles at Vashon, includes airborne measurements.
- Vashon Ferry Terminal Pile Driving (WSDOT, 2017) (1,762 kb) – Monitoring report of pile driving noise from control piles and noise reducing piles at Vashon Ferry Terminal.
- Wahkiakum Ferry Terminal Monitoring Report (WSDOT, 2010) (pdf 1,208 kb) – Monitoring report of impact driving of steel piles for Wahkiakum Ferry Terminal on the Columbia River with confined bubble curtain.
- WSF Underwater Background Monitoring Report (WSDOT, 2014) (pdf 1,112 kb) – Compendium of background sound levels near various ferry terminals in Puget Sound.
- Hood Canal Bridge Report (Battelle, 2005) (pdf 4,938 kb) – Monitoring report of impact driving steel piles at the Hood Canal Bridge, Puget Sound
- Hood Canal Bridge Pile Driving Report (Battelle, 2004) (pdf 659 kb) – Monitoring report of impact driving steel piles at low tide on the beach near Hood Canal Bridge, Puget Sound
- I-5 Tacoma HOV: Puyallup River Bridge Report (WSDOT, 2016) (pdf 1.3 Mb) – Monitoring report for 14-inche H-piles during impact driving in the Puyallup River adjacent to I-5.
- I-90 Snoqualmie pass East, Keechelus Lake Avalance Bridge Blasting (WSDOT, 2016) (pdf 1.4 Mb) – Underwater noise monitoring of upland rock blasting.
- Manette Bridge Vibratory Technical Memo (WSDOT, 2010) (pdf 294 kb) – Monitoring report of vibratory installation of steel piles at the Manette Bridge, WA.
- Manette Bridge Pier Demolition (WSDOT, 2012) (pdf 1,552 kb) – Monitoring report of demolition of concrete bridge piers above water with a hoe-ram.
- SR 24 Bridge Replacement Report (WSDOT, 2005) (pdf 1,374 kb) – Monitoring report of impact pile driving of steel piles in Yakima river for the SR 24 bridge replacement project.
- SR 202 Evans Creek Technical Memo (WSDOT, 2006) (pdf 205 kb) – Monitoring report for upland impact pile driving of steel H-piles.
- SR 202 Evans Creek Bridge (WSDOT, 2006) (pdf 600 kb kb) – Monitoring report for upland impact pile driving of steel piles.
- SR 240 Bridge Replacement Report (WSDOT, 2004) (pdf 2,532 kb) – Monitoring of impact driving of steel piles in Yakima river for SR 240 bridge replacement project.
- SR 240 Bridge Replacement Report (WSDOT, 2003) (pdf 740 kb) – Monitoring of impact driving of steel piles in Yakima River for SR 240 bridge replacement project.
- SR 411 Lexington Bridge Report (WSDOT, 2006) (pdf 486 kb) – Monitoring report of impact driving of steel piles in the Cowlitz River.
- SR 520 Test Pile Project Monitoring Report (Illingworth & Rodkin, 2010) (pdf 4,216 kb) – Monitoring report of impact driving of steel piles in Lake Washington using TNAP and DNAP attenuation devices.
- SR 520 West Connection Bridge Report (WSDOT, 2014) – Monitoring report of impact driving of 24-inch and 30-inch steel piles including airborne measurements.
- SR 520 West Approach Bridge North Report (WSDOT, 2016) (pdf 12,454 kb) – Monitoring report of first year for 24-inch and 30-inch steel pile impact driving including airborne noise measurements.
- SR 520 West Approach Bridge North Report (WSDOT, 2016) – Monitoring report of impact driving of 30-inch steel piles in Lake Washington.
- SR 520 Concrete Pier Demolition Report (WSDOT, 2017) (pdf 1.9 Mb) – Monitoring report of demolition of concrete bridge piers using hoe-ram.
- SR 529 Ebey Slough Bridge Replacement (WSDOT, 2011) (pdf 2.0 Mb) – Monitoring report of impact driving of steel piles for underwater and airborne noise at Ebey Slough, Washington.
- Acoustic Radiation from a Submerged Pile during Pile Driving (Stockham, Dahl, Reinhall, 2010) (pdf 161 kb) – Research report describing how impact hammer energy levels are transferred through a steel pile at Vashon Ferry terminal.
- Analysis of the Port Townsend Underwater Acoustic Background (Stockham, Dahl, Reinhall, 2010) (pdf 307 kb) – Research on the best methods to collect and report underwater background sound levels in Puget Sound.
- Characterizing Underwater Noise from Industrial Pile Driving at Close Range (Stockham, Dahl, Reinhall, 2010) (pdf 310 kb) – Research report on characterizing the underwater noise generated during impact pile driving at Vashon Ferry Terminal.
- Investigation of the Performance of a Method to Reduce Pile Driving Generated Underwater Noise (Zhou, 2009) (pdf 1,972 kb) – Research report on a new method to reduce underwater noise generated during impact pile driving of steel piles
- Measurements of Pile Driving Noise from Control Piles and Noise-Reduced Piles at Vashon Island Ferry Dock (Dahl et al., 2016) (pdf 2.6 Mb) – Monitoring of far-field noise during test pile project at Vashon to evaluate drivability of double walled and mandrel piles.
- Underwater Noise Reduction of Marine Pile Driving Using a Double Pile (Reinhall et al. 2016) (pdf 1.6 Mb) – Monitoring of double wall and mandrel piles at Vashon ferry terminal.
