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