Agenda: 62nd Annual Meeting, 1983


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Transportation Research Board (TRB)
Committee on Transportation-Related Noise (A1F04)
62nd Annual Meeting
January 17-21, 1983
Washington, D.C.

The 62nd Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board, running from January 17-21 in Washington, DC, featured a full slate of activities dealing with transportation-related noise.

According to Louis F. Cohn, outgoing chairman of TRB Committee A1F04, Transportation Related Noise, "This was one of the best Annual Meeting gatherings we've had. There was a great deal of enthusiasm and a sense of commitment toward continued activity despite recent hard times."

Nine papers were presented at the two technical sessions:


Tuesday evening featured the fourth annual A1F04 Awards dinner, an event honoring the author of the best paper related to transportation noise control that had been prepared for TRB the previous year. This year's award was shared by Domenick Billera, New Jersey DOT and Bruce Cunningham, formerly NJDOT, for a paper entitled, "NJ-18 Freeway and Rutgers University Classrooms: Unique Construction Noise Mitigation Experience".

The barrier manufacturers seminar included presentations by representatives of five companies: Armco, CEM-FIL, Fanwall Reinforced Earth and Smith Cattleguard.

The last noise activity was a tour of the Washington Metro facilities conducted by Homer Chen of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. Following a slide briefing, Mr. Chen led the group through an inspection of three stations, the central control headquarters and the noise abatement facilities. Abatement features seen by the group included welded track, elastrometric track fasteners, floating slabs, sound absorbing panels on the station's vaulted ceilings and under the platforms, and HVAC silencers.

Committee Meeting Minutes

The business meeting for Committee A1F04 was attended by 30 members and other interested professionals. Dr. Cohn announced that he would be handing over the reins to Mas Hatano, head of the Noise and Vibration and Energy Group, California Department of Transportation. (Note: Dr. Cohn has become Chairman of TRB Committee A1F02, which concerns more general environmental impacts of transportation).

Summer Meeting

The committee also began planning for its fourth annual "summer get-together" meeting to be held this year in Boston. Possible events for this 2-3 day meeting include a tour of Logan Airport noise abatement activities, visit to Bolt, Beranek and Newman, U.S.D.O.T. Transportation Systems Center and M.I.T. facilities, and tours of highway noise barriers and noise control features in a rail classification yard. Announcement of the actual agenda and meeting dates (July or August) will be made when plans are finalized.

Call for Papers

The committee decided to sponsor two sessions at the January 1984 annual meeting – one specializing in rail and transit noise and one open to all areas of transportation noise. All professionals in the field are invited to submit papers by August 10 for review and possible inclusion in the sessions. Papers should go to Stephen Blake or Mas Hatano.

Report by William Bowlby

Also of interest is a survey on current state DOT practices in noise measurement being conducted by Committee A2H01, Instrumentation Systems, Principles and Applications. Highway noise subcommittee chairman William Bowlby noted that the results of the survey should be published late in 1983 as a Transportation Research Circular.

Report by Peter Conlon

Railroads are studying noise situations and what needs to be done to control noise at 160 railroad yards in the United States.

The American Association of Railroads has leased the Pueblo, Colorado DOT Rail Facility for 5 years and have plans to spend 12 million/year on research.

EPA has dropped proposed standards on refrigerator cars and property line noise levels.

Locomotives are being manufactured with improved fuel consumption and quieter noise levels.

Report on Highways

Fred Romano indicated a stop and go model and a new traffic noise model will be available in 1983.

John Higgins indicated Demonstration Project 58 on Barrier Cost Reduction has been programmed for 50 states. Eight states have already been visited.

Changes in Membership

Some changes in the membership roster resulted in order to comply with TRB's policy of one third rotation every three years. We appreciate the past participation of the following professionals who changed to past member status: Tony Paolillio, John Koper, Robert Mason and Don Whitney. We welcome these professionals to full member status in A1F04: Dr. Eric Stusnik, Bernard Lenzen, Roy Turner, Dr. Carmen Difiglio (Chrm. A1F00) and Stephen Urman. Other changes in committee assignments are Dr. Fred Hall from Secretary to Rail Mass Transit Subcommittee, Bill Bowlby from the Highway Noise Subcommittee to Secretary, Peter Conlon from member to Chairman of the Rail Mass Transit Noise Committee.