Life NEREiDE project: preliminary evaluation of road traffic noise after new pavement laying

The LIFE NEREiDE project is aimed to evaluate the tyre/road noise reduction by means of recycled asphalt pavements and crumb rubber from scrap tyres, layered at temperature lower than normal ones. At present, six new pavements with different blend have been investigated, measuring the vehicle pass-bys noise in proximity of the house at road level using a binaural recording system. The measurements have been repeated before and one year after the new pavement laying. Among the objectives of the project there is the evaluation of the noise reduction achieved by the new pavements and how these are perceived by citizens. For this purpose some psychoacoustic parameters have been determined together with traditional acoustic descriptors. The paper will describe the preliminary results on noise reduction obtained by the new pavements, analysing the recorded data in each of the six sites, as well as perceived reduction and road traffic noise annoyance reported by citizens.