The Estonian Transport Administration has approved an action plan to reduce noise levels in ambient environments and control the harmful effects of noise, as part of which 20 properties, home to a total of 64 people, will be brought into line with the standards for ambient noise within five years.
In Estonia, the procedure for the preparation of strategic noise maps and the action plans based on them is regulated by the Atmospheric Air Protection Act and a regulation of the minister of the environment from 2016.
The action plan for reducing noise in ambient environments is reviewed and updated every five years. The previous action plans for reducing traffic noise on state roads were prepared in 2008, 2012, and 2018. This fourth plan builds on these action plans and the strategic noise map of road sections compiled in 2022.
According to traffic census data from 2019, Estonia’s state road network includes 401 kilometers of road sections where traffic intensity exceeds three million vehicles per year, meaning over 8,220 vehicles per day. The action plan takes into account the planned projects, solutions, and noise reduction measures for these road sections, as well as their expected implementation timelines.
The locations requiring improvement are prioritized in the action plan and the desired outcomes will be achieved through the construction of noise barriers. The order of individual projects will be determined on criteria such as the extent to which the reference noise levels are exceeded, the efficiency of the noise barrier wall, the number of buildings and residents affected, and the cost of the mitigation measure.
The activities of the action plan are financed from the funds of the National Road Management Plan 2024-2027. From 2026 onwards, it is planned to direct an average of 600,000 euros per year to the construction of noise barriers. If necessary, basic studies will be carried out prior to the construction of the noise barrier.
The noise reduction action plan was prepared by the company Kajaja Acoustics OÜ and its drafting was financed by the Environmental Investment Center.
Source: BNS
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