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(NAPSI)-There's good news for America's drivers and their passengers who, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, take more than 235 billion daily trips a year (www.bts.gov), and it's not lower gas prices.
Travelers on the 4 million-plus miles of interstate and local highways and byways in the United States and Puerto Rico can now see more of their surroundings, thanks to innovative, see-through roadway sound barriers from Parsippany, N.J.-based CYRO Industries.
These products are becoming an increasingly popular alternative to solid concrete highway noise walls because they help form a transparent noise barrier system that lets light shine through and keeps nature's wonderful views intact, yet still delivers the level of noise reduction stipulated by state and federal highway officials.
Proof can be seen throughout the country, from Alaska and California to Virginia and New York and points in between.
In each of those projects, the transparent panels, which encompass the top 1/2 to 1/3 of a concrete or stone noise wall, helped maintain views. For example, a noise barrier designed with the clear transparent panels was installed in Alaska so homeowners could maintain their view of the Chugach Mountains. Down the West Coast, in Mission Viejo, Calif., transparent panels were used to keep homeowners' backyards out of the shadows.
Similar success is being seen across the country. A transparent noise-barrier system is being installed on the Woodrow Wilson Bridge to maintain the views over the Potomac River between Maryland and Virginia. Lightweight and weather-resistant clear panels were also the choice for an overpass on Route 201 in Johnson City, N.Y. The panels provided the required protection from noise for the surrounding neighborhood while keeping the picturesque views.
"We're always looking for innovative solutions to make our roadwork projects fit better into the context of the environment. The transparent noise barrier on the Route 201 bridge is a great example of this innovation at work," said Matt Stiles, project design engineer at New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT).
The site of the new St. Paul AME Church in Cleveland, Ohio was going to be blocked by a high concrete noise wall, until the alternative was suggested. The Rev. Gena Thornton said of the acrylic, noise-blocking sheets, "Our concern was that we would be hidden. With the Ready-Fit Panels, local passers-by can now see our church."
For more information, visit www.paraglassoundstop.com. CYRO Industries is a wholly owned subsidiary of Evonik Degussa Corporation.