Current Practices To Address Construction Vibration and Potential Effects to Historic Buildings Adjacent to Transportation Projects

The National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) identified a need for a comprehensive compilation of current and successful practices that address construction vibration impacts on historic buildings adjacent to roadway construction projects. The goal of this compilation is to help historic preservation resource agencies and organizations, departments of transportation (DOTs), and the public understand the technical aspects of vibration impact studies. To prepare the compilation of current and successful practices, the research team conducted a review of literature authored in the United States and abroad to identify the current state of the art for assessing the fragility of historic structures and their susceptibility to damage, for monitoring vibration transmission from construction projects, and for mitigating potentially damaging vibration. The research team also surveyed state DOTs and other agencies to understand how they currently address this issue and to identify several case studies that illustrate how construction vibration effects on historic buildings have been recently evaluated. This report summarizes the results of the literature search and the survey of transportation agencies and provides a detailed discussion of seven informative case studies. A recommended guideline approach for addressing construction vibration effects on historic buildings has also been provided.