Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation Noise topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Senate advances bill to weigh duration of highway noise when prioritizing sound walls
Summary
Senate Bill 117 would direct UDOT to consider how long property noise exceeds threshold levels (in addition to peak decibel and number of homes) when prioritizing noise-mitigation projects; sponsors said the change responds to decades-long neighborhood exposure in Rose Park and passed the Senate to third reading 27–0.
Senate Bill 117, which would add the length of time that highway traffic noise exceeds established decibel thresholds to Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) mitigation criteria, was advanced by the Utah Senate on Jan. 30, 1998.
Sponsor Senator Bueller told colleagues the bill was prompted by roughly 300 Rose Park constituents who have been exposed to sustained highway noise for decades and urged consideration of exposure duration alongside the existing measures — decibel level and number of affected homes. He said some readings in the neighborhood have been "73 plus" decibels in recent tests and that adding duration would prioritize longstanding exposures.
Lawmakers debated trade-offs and data availability. Senator Holmgren and others asked whether UDOT has reliable historical decibel records and whether sound walls demonstrably reduce noise; proponents cited studies indicating sound walls commonly reduce measured levels by about 10 decibels, which can be perceived as roughly a 50% reduction in loudness. Opponents and questioners sought precise definitions of the measurement window and assurance the bill would not unintentionally favor newly built neighborhoods over older ones.
The bill’s text directs UDOT to consider "the length of time that the decibel level of traffic noise has met or exceeded the standards established under this section" when assessing projects. The Senate recorded 27 aye votes, zero nays, and two absences and sent the bill to the third-reading calendar.
Next steps: SB117 will appear on the Senate’s third-reading calendar for final floor action. If enacted, it would change departmental project-prioritization criteria; any implementation would depend on UDOT rulemaking and available monitoring data.
