(logo whooshing)
- [Narrator] During construction of noise or retaining walls
problems can occur when utilities,
construction phasing conflicts,
and inadequate access are not considered.
The issues are seen nationwide
but research on possible best practices is limited.
The Texas Department of Transportation
and the Texas A&M Transportation Institute
looked at ways to provide guidelines on how
and where walls are placed,
saving time and money in the process.
- So, when building noise walls and retaining walls,
issues with utility conflicts and construction activities
and access issues can arise.
Previous manuals and design documents
didn't really address these.
So the purpose of the research
is to address constructability and maintenance issues
with walls by looking at sequencing and placement.
- In the environmental division, my part,
we have a federal rule
that when there's impacts from a project,
we have to be able to build a noise wall,
and then there's it becomes the theoretical wall
that we can build and what actually can be built.
And that's what designers know and project people know.
So, the coordination and sequencing of the projects
to get that built,
knowing whether utilities underground is critical.
- We did a lot of interviews with personnel
who are involved with noise walls
and retaining walls design
and constructability and maintenance.
So what that was very important for our research.
Looking at those interviews and getting that feedback
from people who were involved in that process.
It was also important
for us to look at active TxDOT construction projects
and seeing what issues
that they were encountering with noise walls
and retaining walls during that construction process
and how those issues could be alleviated
in the design phase by looking at sequencing
and placement of those noise walls and retaining walls.
- The big thing that we got out of this
was a guidance document
with more precise guidance for our various areas.
So, that goes into standards and specifications,
how to do that sequencing,
recommendations on placement of barriers.
- We've also come up with recommendations for updates
for TxDOT manuals, so those can be incorporated
and it'll help with the process also.
That'll alleviate issues with highway construction projects
that incorporate noise walls and retaining walls,
which will reduce issues for TxDOT
and also the traveling public.
- The recommendations of the report are
to try to look at those utilities
and possible impediments earlier in the process
and add it to the schematic at the beginning
just so that people are even thinking
there could be a barrier here.
So really it's just streamlining, making things easier.
- For our our next steps for this research
we'd like to work with the TxDOT districts
and incorporating the guidebook that we've produced.
And the guidebook provides recommendations
and best practices for sequencing
and placement noise walls and retaining walls,
and those would most be beneficial to be incorporated
during the design phase.
Some of them can be incorporated
during construction phase as well.
- [Narrator] For more information
and to find the publications for this project,
please visit the TxDOT Research Library
at the link shown below.