Sustainable noise abatement along motorways in Germany - an empirical study in the municipality Frasdorf (Bavaria)

As part of the planned expansion work of the motorway A8 between Rosenheim and Salzburg and the\udassociated legal opportunity to develop new traffic noise protection measures, this study investigated\udproperties of sustainable noise abatement in a community next to the A8. A two-stage empirical survey\udwas conducted integrating a citizen and an expert Delphi survey. The results show that the noise from\udthe motorway heavily affects the quality of life in health, economic and ecological respects. Sustainable\udnoise abatement should take into consideration ecological and social aspects like landscape integration\udand contribution to local development due to the unique location of the municipality. Enclosed motorway\udcanopies are particularly beneficial to meet these criteria. The costs for sustainable noise abatement\udmeasures should be weighted as less important; however, financial costs are crucial for the federal\udgovernment due to the requirements of the Federal Pollution Control Act. Hence, residents and experts\udassume that noise barriers as the cheaper noise abatement measures will be implemented. However, the\udresults of the study and the latest developments in the expansion plans suggest that the implementation of\udenclosed motorway canopies, which go beyond the legal requirements, is feasible through extensive citizen\udparticipation and community-specific planning