Virginia Beach

Smith-Midland Exceeds 2,000,000 sq. ft. of Installed SoftSound

Smith-Midland completed two more SoftSound™ sound absorptive noise wall projects in the Tidewater metro area of Virginia, the Martin Luther King Extension in Portsmouth, and the Holland Road widening in Virginia Beach. These two projects come on the heels of two other recently completed noise wall sections in the region, Lynn Haven Parkway and Nimmo Parkway, both in Virginia Beach.

Smith-Midland was selected to supply SoftSound noise wall for the Skanska led Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) MLK Freeway Extension project. The mile-long project included close to 40,000 square feet of SoftSound noise wall panels and 1,926 liner feet of pre-stressed concrete posts. The sound absorptive panels used form liners to create the look of a natural stone wall. One of the advantages of SoftSound precast technology is its ability to be formed and stained to mimic a wide variety of surfaces while still maintaining its sound absorptive qualities and the durability aspects of concrete. Production of the precast panels and posts are complete and currently being installed.

Smith-Midland’s portion of VDOT’s $31 million, 2.5 mile Holland Road widening will consist of over 82,000 square feet of sound absorptive precast concrete panels and 5,528 liner feet of precast posts set on 441 6’x6’ precast footers. The area along Holland Road contains primarily residential housing. The 12’ high walls will be set on both sides of the corridor to protect the residents from excessive traffic noise. The design will continue that of the intersecting Nimmo Parkway which utilized special form liners depicting scenes of Virginia seashore and woodland landscapes (detailed below). Smith-Midland was contracted by Allan Meyers-VA, Inc. to manufacture and deliver the 358 tractor trailer loads of product.

The previously completed Princess Anne Road was a small, but important project. The wall, located along a residential neighborhood in Virginia Beach, VA, was designed and finished to match the brick and mortar of the nearby VA Beach Municipal Center. Construction of the 650-foot long project consisted of 9,000+ square feet of 8’ x 16’ panels with accompanying precast columns.

The success of the Princess Anne Road plus other previous SoftSound jobs led to winning another SoftSound project in Virginia Beach. Smith-Midland manufactured over 100,000 square feet of SoftSound™ panels for a 1.5 mile project on the Nimmo Parkway. These panels were the first to incorporate the new Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) landscape design motifs. Special form liners have been developed depicting seashore, farmland, mountain and other signature Virginia landscapes.

This and other recent major projects bring Smith-Midland’s total SoftSound (sound absorptive noise wall) manufactured, delivered and installed total to over two million square feet.