Air Quality Analysis Services
The Wilson T. Ballard Company provides Air Quality Analysis Services for clients following the requirements of the Clean Air Act, its amendments and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
Our Air Quality Analysis services include:
- Analyses in conformance with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Transportation Conformity Regulations (40 CFR Parts 51 and 93), including:
- Consideration of Carbon Monoxide (CO) and Particulate Matter (PM-10 and PM-2.5) in areas designated maintenance or nonattainment for these pollutants,
- Identifying projects of local air quality concern using qualitative analyses and,
- Evaluating the need for hot-spot analyses via Interagency Consultation with State and Federal agencies.
- Research for regional conformity determinations of transportation projects.
- Quantitative project level analyses of projected project pollutants using EPA’s Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES) model to estimate vehicle emissions along with the CAL3QHCR dispersion model.
- Analysis to determine the project category for potential effects from Mobile Source Air Toxics (MSATs) in accordance to Federal Highway Administration Guidance on MSATs in NEPA, and consideration of construction impacts to air quality.
- Coordination with the Maryland Department of Transportation and Maryland Department of the Environment to include Greenhouse Gas considerations in NEPA documents for transportation projects.
Traffic Noise Analysis Services
The Wilson T. Ballard Company provides Traffic Noise Analysis and Noise Barrier design services.
Our Traffic Noise Analysis and Noise Barrier design services include:
- Highway noise measurements and noise barrier analysis in accordance with:
- Maryland State Highway Administration’s Highway Noise Policy and Implementation Guidelines
- 23 CFR 772
- Federal Highway Administration’s Highway Traffic Noise: Analysis and Abatement Guidance
- Local and county policies and ordinances
- Classification of the noise project (Type)
- Field noise monitoring and traffic counts
- Predicting future build traffic noise levels (based on volume, speed and vehicle mix of the traffic flow).
- Analyzing land uses and determining the required Noise Abatement Criteria based on Activity Categories to identify noise sensitive areas.
- Creating and validating Federal Highway Traffic Noise Models (TNMs) to simulate project noise environments under various conditions.
- Predicting noise levels to determine traffic noise impacts, if noise barriers are warranted, feasible and reasonable in the project area.
In projects where a noise barrier is warranted, we conduct noise barrier design services including the preparation of plans, specifications and cost estimates for advertisement, as well as consultation during noise barrier construction.