Integrated Noise Barriers: Advancing Roadway Safety and Sound Mitigation
Key Highlights
- Combines crash-tested vehicle containment with effective noise reduction in a single, space-efficient structure.
- Meets the rigorous MASH TL5 standards, ensuring safety for heavy vehicle impacts at highway speeds.
- Features a shallow anchoring depth of only 6.69 inches, simplifying installation in constrained areas.
- Double-sided absorptive panels provide bidirectional noise control, suitable for medians and roadside applications.
- Modular design allows for quick replacement after impact, reducing maintenance time and costs.
Highway agencies in North America face two constant challenges: protecting motorists from severe collisions and reducing the environmental impact of roadway noise on nearby communities. Traditionally, these goals are handled separately – longitudinal barrier systems for vehicle containment, and stand-alone noise walls for sound attenuation. This approach consumes land, complicates construction around underground utilities, and increases project costs.
A new class of integrated noise barrier systems is changing that equation. REBLOC, a global leader in precast concrete vehicle restraint systems, in partnership with Durisol noise barriers, has developed North America’s first MASH TL5 crash-tested integrated noise barrier system. This cutting-edge solution merges a fully crash-tested longitudinal barrier with an effective noise barrier into a single precast concrete structure, delivering both safety and acoustic performance without the spatial inefficiencies of separate installations.
TL5-Certified Performance for Heavy Vehicle Safety
The Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) sets the standard for evaluating roadside safety devices, with Test Level 5 (TL5) representing the most demanding requirements – 80,000-pound tractor-trailer impacts at highway speeds. REBLOC’s integrated system has successfully passed TL5 testing, ensuring proven containment and redirection of errant vehicles, while meeting the highest safety requirements for interstates, freight corridors, and urban expressways.
With a shallow anchoring depth of only 6.69 in (170 mm), the system provides the necessary stability while simplifying installation in constrained corridors. Its double-sided absorptive panels prevent noise reflection in both directions, making the solution equally suited for roadside or median placement.
By positioning the integrated noise barrier directly at the pavement edge, the REBLOC system maximizes noise reduction efficiency while allowing for lower wall heights - improving aesthetics and reducing material use. The integration of the barrier and noise wall eliminates the need for a second foundation, saving space and reducing land acquisition requirements.
Benefits of an Integrated Approach
- First ever MASH TL5-tested integrated noise barrier system
- Minimal distance to the noise source for improved acoustic performance
- Reduced footprint – no separate foundation required
- Shallow anchoring depth simplifies installation
- Modular design enables quick replacement after impact
- Double-sided absorptive panels for bidirectional noise control in medians, elevated segments, or roadsides
A Shift in Roadway Design
As urban growth and freight traffic increase, roadway design must meet higher demands for safety, environmental performance, and efficient land use. REBLOC’s integrated noise barrier system represents a forward-looking solution: combining multiple infrastructure functions into one engineered system.
By meeting MASH TL5 standards and delivering proven noise attenuation, the REBLOC system enables DOTs, municipalities, and contractors to modernize infrastructure while reducing construction complexity, land requirements, and lifecycle costs – advancing roadway safety and community well-being across North America.
Author: REBLOC Inc.
1000 N West Street
Wilmington, DE 19801
[email protected]