Highway sound barrier walls safely installed over buried utility lines in Texas

November 16, 2018

The heavily traveled TX-183 corridor is a direct east/west route between Dallas-Fort Worth and their International Airport. The corridor also has vital utilities along the right-of-way, including those serving the airport. The proposed sound wall location would not allow for drilled shaft foundations, which are required for heavy precast concrete sound walls.

Lightweight PVC AIL Sound Walls needed for tight, shallow site

Southgate Mobility Partners, a joint venture created for the massive $847-million Midtown Express Project, needed a lightweight sound wall system that would be installed with a continuous shallow foundation. AIL Sound Walls were recommended by joint venture partner, Keiwit, based on their similar project with us on the Houston MetroRail expansion.  

  

With sidewalks and private yards on either side, the foundation area’s width was also very limited. We provided foundation options with minimal impact to the utilities and adjacent property owners.

Grade changes, angles, gates, custom color panels and posts

This project really demonstrated the complete versatility of our lightweight PVC sound barrier wall system. The sound wall had several different sections with grade changes—it butted up against sidewalks, it angled around utility boxes and it included multiple gates.

Plus, TxDOT and the local community had selected a unique color aesthetic for the 183 corridor and wanted a system to match. They worked with our design and manufacturing teams to develop an aesthetic scheme with the colors they were looking for and they requested a wood grain texture. These design options were invaluable to TxDOT and the community.

We ensured a streamlined manufacturing process on the custom panel and post colors. Very positive feedback was received from the customer and we’ve already heard from TxDOT about lightweight sound barrier walls for other projects in high traffic areas with extensive underground utilities.

Related Projects

  • Silent Protector noise barrier wall quiets upgraded I-40 in Conway, Arkansas

    Interstate Highway 40 passes through the city of Conway and crosses two of the busiest commuter routes in town: highways 64 and 65. To alleviate inner city congestion and provide better connections between the highways, the Arkansas Department of Transportation (AR DOT) undertook a substantial upgrade of the I-40 which included road widening and interchange work.

  • Mile-long sound wall installed along Little Rock’s I-630 to reduce traffic noise

    I-630 is the major corridor connecting downtown Little Rock, Arkansas to points west. As part of an $87.3 million project to widen a 2.5-mile section from six lanes to eight, a mile-long section was recently equipped with AIL Sound Walls.

  • BC neighborhood installs highway sound barrier walls for traffic noise reduction

    A new Richmond neighborhood bordered BC’s busy Highway 91 and an effective sound mitigation solution was needed. But, there were just two problems. The site, between the highway and a steep drop off to a parking lot below, was extremely narrow. And, it could only accommodate a 2' footing depth due to a buried membrane covering contaminated soils.

  • LRT sound wall dons the pads for University of Houston practice field

    Lightweight and easy-to-install AIL Sound Walls were recently selected for a particular section of Houston’s major Metrorail expansion. On this project, the University of Houston was concerned about protecting their football players and the City of Houston was concerned about protecting their main sewer and storm drainage lines.

  • AIL Sound Walls land at Billy Bishop Airport with Silent Protector airport noise barriers

    The Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport is well-known to travelers who need to get places in a hurry. Located in the downtown core on Toronto Island, the airport falls under the jurisdiction of the Toronto Port Authority (TPA). Together, they work hard to ensure that they are good neighbors with the Island’s residents and its environment. Initiatives include the use of Bullfrog Power in all facilities, developing fish habitats and managing noise sources.

The AIL Group of Companies