WisDOT
I-39/90
Noise Walls
- Location: Madison, Wisconsin area
- Contractor: Zenith Tech
- Size: 220,000 sq. ft.
- Purpose: To provide noise-dampening barriers for residential properties along the interstate.
About this Project
Stretching from the Wisconsin/Illinois border up to Madison, Wisconsin, the WisDOT I-39/90 expansion project is designed to alleviate traffic problems on the roadway. About 45 miles of interstate is being reconstructed to widen it to six lanes, with a portion near Janesville, WI doubling in size to eight lanes. In order to shield the nearby residential properties from the freeway noise, Wieser Concrete is producing over 220,000 sq. ft. of sound absorptive walls to be installed along the interstate. We were contracted by Zenith Tech due to the ability to use 20-foot post spacing with our walls, whereas most competitors have a maximum post spacing of 15 feet or less. Our panels are also made up to six feet tall, so it greatly reduces the number of panels that the contractor has to install.
Since the noise wall is visible from nearby communities and high-traffic roadways, it was important that the panels were aesthetically pleasing. They are composite panels with one side being absorptive AcoustaCrete and the other side a structural concrete panel with a unique stamped finish. At our shop in Portage, WI, the panels are manufactured and fully stained before delivery to ensure an efficient installation process. Over 1,000 panels have been produced, delivered, and installed this year for the northbound lanes of the I-39/90 expansion. Janesville residents have already started to appreciate the decorative, noise-dampening barriers going up between their homes and the interstate, according to a news article by NBC15-Madison. The project is expected to be approximately 60% complete by the end of 2018, with the rest of the walls being installed in early 2019 along the southbound lanes of I-39.
