Quantification of the Effectiveness and External Noise of Rumble Strip Designs

El-Rayes, Khaled; Ignacio, Ernest-John; Hajj, Ramez; Sallam, Omar; Al-Ghzawi, Mamdouh; Hassan, Ahmed; Almasry, Omar

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/125109 Copy

Description

Title

Quantification of the Effectiveness and External Noise of Rumble Strip Designs

Author(s)

• El-Rayes, Khaled
• Ignacio, Ernest-John
• Hajj, Ramez
• Sallam, Omar
• Al-Ghzawi, Mamdouh
• Hassan, Ahmed
• Almasry, Omar

Issue Date

2024-11

Keyword(s)

• Longitudinal Rumble Strips
• Transverse Rumble Strips
• Sinusoidal Rumble Strips
• Rumble Strips Effectiveness
• Internal Noise
• External Noise
• Traffic Noise
• Roadway Safety
• Design Optimization

Abstract

Rumble strips are roadway safety countermeasures that alert inattentive drivers by generating in-vehicle noise to minimize roadway departure crashes and prompt speed reduction for vehicles approaching stop-controlled intersections. Despite these safety benefits, they often generate external noise and complaints from nearby residents. This report presents the findings of a research project funded by the Illinois Department of Transportation to identify longitudinal and transverse rumble strip designs that reduce external noise while maintaining sufficient internal noise to ensure their effectiveness in reducing related crashes. The research tasks of this project focused on (1) performing a case study of existing transverse rumble strips on US-41 to collect external noise levels; (2) conducting a literature review to gather and analyze the latest research studies on rumble strips; (3) performing a national survey of state departments of transportation to collect their feedback on utilizing rumble strips; (4) collecting noise measurements of US-41 rumble strips after their 2022 reconstruction for comparison with their baseline external noise levels collected in task 1; (5) conducting initial field evaluations of existing and new rumble strip designs to identify top-performing designs; (6) performing a second round of field evaluations of top-performing rumble strip designs using a representative sample of test vehicles; (7) developing a decision support tool for ranking the most effective rumble strip designs based on their noise performance, roadway traffic, and sensitivity of nearby areas to rumble strip external noise; and (8) creating a model for ranking and optimizing the selection of competing rumble strip construction projects based on their safety benefits.

Publisher

Illinois Center for Transportation/Illinois Department of Transportation

Has Part

• ISSN: 0197-9191
• https://doi.org/10.36501/0197-9191/24-023

Series/Report Name or Number

FHWA-ICT-24-020

Type of Resource

text

Language

eng

Sponsor(s)/Grant Number(s)

IDOT-R27-245-HS

Copyright and License Information

No restrictions. This document is available through the National Technical Information Service, Springfield, VA 22161.

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