Client: Town of Christiansburg + The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT)

ATCS’ noise team conducted a preliminary noise analysis for the Christiansburg Connector Project in Montgomery County, Virginia. The proposed improvements include approximately .75 miles of new highway alignment between U.S. Route 460 (N. Franklin Street) and Virginia Route 114 (Peppers Ferry Road). The project increases overall connectivity in the Town of Christiansburg and the region and reduces commute times, providing a long-term environmental benefit. Connector Route trails to the Huckleberry Trail will increase pedestrian and bicyclist access, promote community health, alleviate congestion on streets, conserve gas, decrease pollution, promote property values, and are now considered a standard economic development recruitment tool.

Our noise experts worked directly with the Town and project engineers to minimize noise impacts along the corridor for the project’s duration. Although the project right-of-way was extremely challenging and reduced the project team’s options, our experts investigated a series of design elements which included minor earth berm development, reduced truck percentages, and depressing the roadway profile to reduce potential noise impacts. Ultimately, our team reduced the number of noise impacts in preparation for the Smart Scale funding application.