Categories
Noise Walls
Enjoy a drink on the deck, a backyard barbeque, or spend time in the garden and you might just forget that your property is right next to the highway, thanks to Harper precast
Harper precast provides a majority of the highway traffic noise barriers used along the Wasatch Front. These noise walls reduce the sound of traffic while providing a visually appealing backdrop to both drivers and homeowners.
How Does It Work?
Noise walls eliminate traffic sounds by absorbing, transmitting, or reflecting the noise simply by their size. Once the noise hits the wall, some of the sound rays are absorbed; others are reflected back to the highway. The sound waves that travel around the wall are those that are still audible to homeowners, but are much less compared to areas where there is no noise wall. To be effective, the noise wall must be tall enough and long enough to block the view of a highway. This provides two benefits, you can no longer see the highway, and you can no longer hear it. When it is tall enough to break the line of sight, it also creates a sound barrier. For each meter of barrier height, the wall achieves another 1.5dB of noise reduction. In addition, most noise walls should be at least eight times as long as the distance from the home to the barrier, according to the Federal Highway Administration.
Why It Is Important?
Highway traffic noise is one of the most dominant noises in urban environments. The loud, constant stream of traffic makes it difficult for some individuals to unwind, relax, or even carry on a conversation with incessant and drowning traffic noise in the background. With a traffic noise barrier or noise wall in place, that sound is cut in half. For most homeowners, this allows them to open their windows, enjoy their patio, and relax at home without the constant pressure of traffic noise.
Materials and Specifications
Noise barriers can be constructed from a variety of materials. As long as the material is rigid, dense, and tall enough to be effective, it can act as a noise barrier. Harper precast uses concrete blocks to build noise walls because it is thick and solid enough to effectively absorb the noise. The concrete can also be stamped or imprinted to be aesthetically pleasing.
Rather than creating barriers outside on the job site, we create each wall in an enclosed building to protect it from the elements until it is completely dried and ready for installation. Once they have been completed, they are easy to install, and provide more effective noise cancelling than concrete walls built on site.
Our workmanship and materials are the best in the industry due to a complete quality control system during the mixing and curing process to ensure the material is crafted perfectly each time. Utah relies on Harper Precast to enhance our roadways for motorists and increase quality of life for those who live nearby.
Have a look at some of the noise walls we’ve done.
