Impact of Urban Elevated Complex Roads on Acoustic Environment Quality in Adjacent Areas: A Field Measurement Study

The current focus of urban environmental governance is on the traffic noise pollution caused by road transportation. Elevated complex roads, defined as transportation systems comprising elevated roads and underlying ground-level roads, exhibit unique traffic noise distribution characteristics due to...

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Main Authors: Guangrui Yang, Lingshan He, Yimin Wang, Qilin Liu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-07-01
Series:Buildings
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/15/2662
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author Guangrui Yang
Lingshan He
Yimin Wang
Qilin Liu
author_facet Guangrui Yang
Lingshan He
Yimin Wang
Qilin Liu
author_sort Guangrui Yang
collection DOAJ
description The current focus of urban environmental governance is on the traffic noise pollution caused by road transportation. Elevated complex roads, defined as transportation systems comprising elevated roads and underlying ground-level roads, exhibit unique traffic noise distribution characteristics due to the presence of double-decked roads and viaducts. This study conducted noise measurements at two sections of elevated complex roads in Guangzhou, including assessing noise levels at the road boundaries and examining noise distribution at different distances from roads and building heights. The results show that the horizontal distance attenuation of noise in adjacent areas exhibits no significant difference from that of ground-level roads, but substantial discrepancies exist in vertical height distribution. The under-viaduct space experiences more severe noise pollution than areas above the viaduct height, and the installation of sound barriers alters the spatial distribution trend of traffic noise. Given that installing sound barriers solely on elevated roads is insufficient to improve the acoustic environment, systematic noise mitigation strategies should be developed for elevated composite road systems. Additionally, the study reveals that nighttime noise fluctuations are significantly greater than those during the day, further exacerbating residents’ noise annoyance.
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issn 2075-5309
language English
publishDate 2025-07-01
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spelling doaj-art-ee86491f29b04e9e9b708b53f1b9cdba2025-08-20T03:02:55ZengMDPI AGBuildings2075-53092025-07-011515266210.3390/buildings15152662Impact of Urban Elevated Complex Roads on Acoustic Environment Quality in Adjacent Areas: A Field Measurement StudyGuangrui Yang0Lingshan He1Yimin Wang2Qilin Liu3School of Civil Engineering and Transportation, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510641, ChinaGuangzhou Urban Planning & Design Survey Research Institute Co., Ltd., Guangzhou 510060, ChinaSchool of Civil Engineering and Transportation, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510641, ChinaSchool of Economics and Management, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044, ChinaThe current focus of urban environmental governance is on the traffic noise pollution caused by road transportation. Elevated complex roads, defined as transportation systems comprising elevated roads and underlying ground-level roads, exhibit unique traffic noise distribution characteristics due to the presence of double-decked roads and viaducts. This study conducted noise measurements at two sections of elevated complex roads in Guangzhou, including assessing noise levels at the road boundaries and examining noise distribution at different distances from roads and building heights. The results show that the horizontal distance attenuation of noise in adjacent areas exhibits no significant difference from that of ground-level roads, but substantial discrepancies exist in vertical height distribution. The under-viaduct space experiences more severe noise pollution than areas above the viaduct height, and the installation of sound barriers alters the spatial distribution trend of traffic noise. Given that installing sound barriers solely on elevated roads is insufficient to improve the acoustic environment, systematic noise mitigation strategies should be developed for elevated composite road systems. Additionally, the study reveals that nighttime noise fluctuations are significantly greater than those during the day, further exacerbating residents’ noise annoyance.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/15/2662traffic noise pollutionelevated complex roadsfield measurementdistribution characteristics
spellingShingle Guangrui Yang
Lingshan He
Yimin Wang
Qilin Liu
Impact of Urban Elevated Complex Roads on Acoustic Environment Quality in Adjacent Areas: A Field Measurement Study
Buildings
traffic noise pollution
elevated complex roads
field measurement
distribution characteristics
title Impact of Urban Elevated Complex Roads on Acoustic Environment Quality in Adjacent Areas: A Field Measurement Study
title_full Impact of Urban Elevated Complex Roads on Acoustic Environment Quality in Adjacent Areas: A Field Measurement Study
title_fullStr Impact of Urban Elevated Complex Roads on Acoustic Environment Quality in Adjacent Areas: A Field Measurement Study
title_full_unstemmed Impact of Urban Elevated Complex Roads on Acoustic Environment Quality in Adjacent Areas: A Field Measurement Study
title_short Impact of Urban Elevated Complex Roads on Acoustic Environment Quality in Adjacent Areas: A Field Measurement Study
title_sort impact of urban elevated complex roads on acoustic environment quality in adjacent areas a field measurement study
topic traffic noise pollution
elevated complex roads
field measurement
distribution characteristics
url https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/15/2662
work_keys_str_mv AT guangruiyang impactofurbanelevatedcomplexroadsonacousticenvironmentqualityinadjacentareasafieldmeasurementstudy
AT lingshanhe impactofurbanelevatedcomplexroadsonacousticenvironmentqualityinadjacentareasafieldmeasurementstudy
AT yiminwang impactofurbanelevatedcomplexroadsonacousticenvironmentqualityinadjacentareasafieldmeasurementstudy
AT qilinliu impactofurbanelevatedcomplexroadsonacousticenvironmentqualityinadjacentareasafieldmeasurementstudy