                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

NOISE ABATEMENT PRACTICES AND TECHNOLOGIES (§ 33.2-276)

A. Whenever the Board or the Department plan for or undertake any highway
construction or improvement project and such project includes or may include the
requirement for the mitigation of traffic noise impacts, first consideration
should be given to the use of noise reducing design and low noise pavement
materials and techniques in lieu of construction of noise walls or sound
barriers. Vegetative screening, such as the planting of appropriate conifers, in
such a design would be utilized to act as a visual screen if visual screening is
required.

B. The Department shall expedite the development of quiet pavement technology
such that applicable contract solicitations for paving shall include
specifications for quiet pavement technology and other sound mitigation
alternatives in any case in which sound mitigation is a consideration. To that
end, the Department shall construct demonstration projects sufficient in number
and scope to assess applicable technologies. The assessment shall include
evaluation of the functionality and public safety of these technologies in
Virginia&#8217;s climate and shall be evaluated over at least two full winters.
The Department shall provide an initial interim report to the Governor and the
General Assembly by June 30, 2012, a second interim report by June 30, 2013, and
a final report by June 30, 2015. The report shall include results of
demonstration projects in Virginia, results of the use of quiet pavement in
other states, a plan for routine implementation of quiet pavement, and any
safety, cost, or performance issues that have been identified by the
demonstration projects.

C. The governing body of any locality, at its own expense, may evaluate noise
from highways it may designate for analysis. Such evaluation shall be accepted
and relied upon by the Department if such evaluation is prepared in accordance
with and complies with applicable federal law, regulations, and requirements, as
well as guidelines and policies issued by the Board, relating to noise abatement
and evaluation. This provision shall not apply to projects for which the
Department is required to perform a noise analysis.

HISTORY: 2009, c. 120, § 33.1-223.2:21; 2011, cc. 476, 790; 2012, c. 171; 2013,
c. 120; 2014, c. 805.