Using the Federal Highway Administration roadway construction noise model for the Jerome Park Reservoir construction project

摘要

The new Jerome Park Reservoir in the Bronx, NY, is a critical water supply source for theresidents and businesses of New York City. This paper will describe the noise modelingwork done in support of the project as well as an odd bug found in the FHWA’s RCNMmodel. Noise associated with the various construction phases and equipment for theproject was analyzed to evaluate the potential loudest hour during each month of work forthe project’s 50-month duration. Noise analyses were performed for expected weekdaywork conditions and Saturday work conditions at several receptor locations surroundingthe reservoir using the FHWA’s Roadway Construction Noise Model (RCNM), Version 1.0.During the analysis an error was found with the output function of RCNM when exportingresults for multiple receptors into CSV and TXT output files. The total Leq and Lmaxlevels were being reported as zeros even though the correct total noise levels were displayedon screen. This error was submitted to FHWA for review, and as a result, RCNM Version1.01 was soon released addressing the problem. More importantly, the project wasperformed to the client’s satisfaction and has allowed the necessary construction work toproceed.