Researchers from five Polish technical universities will develop existing methods and search for new, human- and environmentally friendly methods of protecting from road noise. The challenge is being taken up by the Krakow University of Technology (consortium leader) in collaboration with the Universities of Technology in Białystok, Rzeszów, Warsaw and Wrocław – with financial support from the National Centre for Research and Development and the General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways.

On 1 October 2023, the universities are launching the project ‘Innovative Road Noise Reduction Methods and Principles for their Application – INREH’. The final work will propose guidelines and comprehensive sets of possible solutions for effective protection against noise generated on roads to designers, contractors, and road managers.

“An innovation of the project will also be an attempt to introduce a new approach to the selection of protective solutions in road engineering – combined protection methods taking into account the so-called acoustic landscape”, announces Dr Janusz Bohatkiewicz, Professor of civil engineering at the Kraków University of Technology, head of the INREH project.

The aim of the project is to identify effective, sustainable solutions for reducing road noise on Polish roads.

“The methods which we will identify thanks to the INREH project will be in line with social, environmental and economic criteria, including technical aspects, and thus will ensure sustainable actions while reducing costs”, says Prof. Bohatkiewicz.  “We will carry out 9 research tasks and propose guidelines for so-called combined noise reduction methods, i.e. different sets of methods and noise protection measures, the application of which is cheaper and more effective than existing solutions”, he adds.

The project will last until September 2025. Researchers have been awarded almost PLN 2.4 million to complete it.

Adrian Andrzejewski