P & D CONSULTANTS - 2002 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Grand Avenue Widening Project Environmental Impact Report Section 3.0 generated by train cars is a result of the interaction between the wheels and the railroad track. A source height equal to zero feet was used in the model for the train car noise and a source height of 10 feet was used for the locomotive. 3.6.4 IMPACTS RELATED TO NOISE Two types of potential noise impacts may occur as a result of the proposed Grand Avenue widening: Demolition and construction noise may impact residences whose property lines border Grand Avenue and the playground and classroom activities at Frederick Remington Elementary School. In the long term, traffic on the widened segment of Grand Avenue may increase the noise environment for residences and the school adjacent to this segment of Grand Avenue. The noise analysis for the proposed Grand Avenue widening alternatives considered both short and long term impacts, as described in the following sections. Impacts of Alternative 1 Related to Noise Short Tenn Construction Impacts Under Alternative 1 As described earlier, construction under Alternative 1 will include two major components. The first will be the removal of the existing road pavement, sidewalks and landscaping, and the demolition and removal of existing structures such as commercial and residential structures. The second component consists of grading the right-of-way and construction of the road surface, sidewalks, sound walls and landscaping. In general, the equipment for these demolition and construction activities will consist of several pieces of heavy equipment, such as scrapers, tractors and graders. Another type of equipment that would be used would be large dump trucks, for hauling wastes from the site and materials to the site. There would generally only be one or two dump trucks working at the site at any one time. For this analysis; it was assumed that up to three pieces of heavy equipment would be operated simultaneously, as described below. Construction noise is generally high level, short duration noise which represents a potential short term impact on ambient noise levels in areas adjacent to the construction site. Noise generated by construction equipment, including trucks, graders, bulldozers, concrete mixers and portable generators, can reach high levels. Excavation and grading activities typically represent the highest potential for short term noise impacts during construction. The degree of impact will be dictated by the amount of construction equipment used, the density of heavy equipment, the proximity to a noise sensitive land use, and the duration of the grading and excavation process. General grading and construction activity noise levels for various pieces of equipment are shown in Figure 3.6-6. The noise levels shown on Figure 3.6-6 represent the range of noises generated at a distance of 50 feet from the equipment. Noise levels from a single source typically fall off at a rate of six dB for every doubling of distance from the source. For example, at F: IPROJ-ENMGrand eirlNew Text - GranMection 3 SplitlSection 3.6.doc Page 3.6-21