February 26, 2021
The main CN Rail line serving the US Midwest sees about 20 freight trains per day passing through the Village of Lake Zurich, Illinois — many of them between the hours of midnight and 4:00 am. When CN acquired a new section of rail and increased their train volume, the Village approached CN to fund a new 700′ noise barrier wall to protect the residents who were impacted by the increased noise.
Lightweight AIL Sound Walls well-suited to tight ROW site
With lighter weight PVC construction and smaller foundations, an AIL Sound Walls solution was selected because it was well-suited for quick and easy installation in the tight ROW area with minimal impact on the adjoining residents’ landscaping. The Absorptive Silent-Protector noise barrier wall also ticked the Village’s boxes on sound mitigation performance, low maintenance and enhanced aesthetics.
Flange-mounted attachment allows for lighter equipment, less disruption
The AIL Sound Walls Engineering Team worked closely with the project consultant, Ciorba Group, to design a special flange-mounted attachment so the contractor could use lighter equipment to install in the tight area.
We expedited design and fabrication to meet their accelerated project schedule and visited the site during construction to provide technical assistance. We received very positive post-project feedback from Village representatives, the contractor and the residents. In fact, this successful project led to another Illinois project with the CSX B-9 Argo in nearby Chicago.
One of the industry’s top-performing sound barriers
The Silent Protector absorptive sound barrier wall system from AIL Sound Walls is engineered for maximum noise reduction. Made from recycled and recyclable PVC perforated panels and filled with acoustical mineral wool, Silent Protector is one of the industry’s top-performing sound walls, with a Sound Transmission Class (STC) rating of up to 39 and a Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC) of 0.95.
