Recycled PVC Environmental Barriers Can Save Billions of Dollars on Highway and Rail Projects

Highway and rail improvements under federal stimulus and state road plan will require increased use of sight and sound barriers

LISLE, Ill., June 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Mitigating negative quality-of-life impacts of highway and rail improvement and expansion projects is an increasingly important aspect of planning for state and local government transportation officials. The boost in highway work under the federal stimulus highlights the need for more cost-effective and environmentally sustainable sight and sound barriers.

Sight and sound barrier systems made of recycled PVC are as much as one-third the cost to manufacture and install as pre-cast. The cost for pre-cast barriers averages about $2.6 million per mile of highway, compared to about $1.8 million for the PVC alternative. Savings derive from much lower manufacturing, transportation and installation costs.

A 2008 report by the group Transportation Alternatives entitled Streets to Live By states that property values increase by 0.4 percent for every point reduction in decibels. That can add up to as much as 10 percent on the value of a home, according to the report.
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