“This project will have a major impact on our environment because we are removing used tires from our landfills and returning them to our streets. In the end, we will have a strong, durable product that will improve our neighbourhoods and our daily lives” - Graeme Drysdale

Traffic noise reduction on roads paved with ARC
Asphalt Rubber Concrete (ARC) is a mix in which rubber crumb (from recycled tires) is added to the binder (asphalt cement).

Unknown to many, traffic noise coupled with reflected sounds from buildings and various other structures has a major impact on the health of people living in urban settings. Road traffic noise affects people physiologically and psychologically and could be detrimental to health at levels above normal. Graeme Drysdale, a PhD Candidate in Engineering at the University of Regina understands this and has dedicated many long hours to measuring traffic noise along Highway 11, between Findlater and Chamberlain.

Graeme is part of the Acoustics Research Group at the university, led by Dr. Liming Dai, working on comparing sound levels of vehicles on standard pavement with those on a section of the highway south of Chamberlain paved with asphalt rubber concrete (ARC); a mix in which rubber crumb (from recycled tires) is added to the binder (asphalt cement). Results show an appreciable reduction in high-speed traffic noise on the road paved with this material.

The doctoral candidate says, “This project will have a major impact on our environment because we are removing used tires from our landfills and returning them to our streets. In the end, we will have a strong, durable product that will improve our neighbourhoods and our daily lives”.

Saskatchewan Highways and Transportation, the City of Regina, National Research Council, University of Regina, and several industrial partners are collaborators on this project, which is partially funded by Communities of Tomorrow.

The asphalt rubber concrete material contains very small pores that absorb traffic noise like a sponge. The rubber content also prevents the creation of noise between vehicle tires and the road surface.

Graeme and his research colleagues are now shifting their focus to perfecting this material for significant noise reduction in urban environments. The City of Regina will serve as their living laboratory in achieving this goal. The National Research Council will be providing further research support using both laboratory testing and road instrumentation to help strengthen the new pavement material and position it for commercial viability.

With their collaborators, the Acoustics Research Group will be performing field tests to determine exactly how the pores absorb traffic noise and how the material’s performance compares with existing pavement. This will help in the development of an effective and enduring product.