Suggested Citation:
Hodgson, Benjamin, David P. Waetjen, Shannon Lemieux, Lorna Haworth, Fraser M. Shilling (2026)

Modeling Highway Traffic Noise for Wildlife Movement

Traffic noise impacts wildlife behavior, distribution, movement, and reproduction. Existing noise planning resources lack the high spatial resolution and large extent required to evaluate the effects of traffic noise on wildlife populations near highways. We used the program NoiseModelling within QGIS to estimate traffic noise following the European standard (CNOSSOS-EU). We developed statewide (CA) models (30 m resolution) of vehicle noise intrusion into areas adjacent ( quantify noise exposure and to aid in planning new wildlife crossing infrastructure with limited traffic disturbance. We compared the model outputs with the commonly-used Traffic Noise Model (TNM, USDOT). We assessed model performance near multiple highways using sound pressure level meters. This noise model represents the first US state-scale modeling of traffic noise to include terrain and land cover effects in developed and wild areas. We found that modeled noise adjacent to highways was consistently at intolerable levels for many species (>65 dBA), which will limit their occurrence. We also found that NoiseModeling was easier to use than TNM in the mixed land-cover and topography landscape that wildlife traverse. We propose that these noise modeling resources will likely improve analyses targeted at improving soundscapes for wildlife along highways.