To lessen the impact of highway traffic noise on adjacent communities, noise walls will be constructed or replaced at select locations on I-66 between Gainesville and I-495. Noise wall eligibility is based on Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) criteria. Multiple factors determine whether noise walls are feasible and reasonable and where they will be installed, including noise analyses, design plans, and traffic studies. Learn more about Virginia’s State Noise Abatement Policy and noise walls here.
Existing Noise Walls
If your community has a noise wall today, it will have one in the future. In some locations, existing noise walls must be removed to allow for construction. Replacement walls will be the same height or higher than existing walls. When a noise wall is removed, work will continue until replacement. The noise wall will be constructed of lightweight pre-cast concrete panels with steel or concrete beams in between. The images above show the two planned finishes for the noise walls.
New Noise Walls
The final noise analysis identifies areas that will benefit from noise walls. Benefitted and impacted property owners (and tenants where appropriate) received letters from VDOT with instructions for voting. If the majority votes in favor of the noise wall, then the noise wall will be incorporated into project design plans.
The project team conducted a noise analysis of the final project design to determine where new noise walls are feasible and reasonable. Due to the large number of communities and potential walls in the project corridor, this analysis was completed in sections. Find the results in the Resources table below, including reports for Segment 1, Segment 2, Segment 3A, and Segments 3B and 3C. Technical Memos cover additional locations within each of the segment reports. File names include descriptions of areas covered in each document.
VDOT Noise Wall Process at a Glance
