California Concrete Bridge Deck Sound (CA-73)

This video highlights the sound produced by Caltrans' transverse grooving procedures in the concrete on bridge decks, popular from c. the 1990s to early 2010s. This particular segment is at the NB I-5 flyover to the CA-73 toll road in Orange County, California, opened to traffic 1996.

[@art_of_the_road]

Sound at 0:40

[@imaginarywings1207]

North of Corning, CA, on southbound I-5, there is a long bridge just north of exit 633, that makes a simalar sound as 0:40, but much louder

[@flashfocusbruh5144]

I love the sound and I miss it because the bridge is dampened now. A lot of bridges here in San Diego I remember with such grooving sounds have now been dampened.

[@zacharyyamashita8554]

With the myth acrylic concrete sealant that wears off in a few years?

[@jaur168]

I honestly like transverse grooving because it sounds better, but some people think it’s annoying. Vegas has some on the 215 freeway.

[@zacharyyamashita8554]

I like the sound as well. Routes 85 and 87 in San Jose have some good sounding bridges.

[@Penguin-gj3zn]

I will sometimes here those same bridge sounds in Fresno CA

[@INACTIVEnoton24]

UPDATE: They are doing construction after the interchange with this freeway and it is said to be completed in Late 2023 or 2024

[@matthewtobias6227]

Sounds like Texas and Virginia sounds mixed together

[@eloc08]

Actually closest match is I-5 and I-405 HOV in Irvine.

[@user-cc2uh7sh5c]

You can even find these sounds in Arizona, New Mexico, and Nevada

[@Ocrefrigeration91]

About 3 days ago this bridge has been ground down and is awaiting a concrete resurfacing that will be longitudinally grooved, I wish CA would use Florida’s Random transverse grooving as that’s probably the best sounding ones. I’ve been seeing a lot of this happening in the past few months especially on the 241, it’s sad to see all the transverse grooved bridges being converted to longitudinal

[@art_of_the_road]

That really is too bad, although I knew it was only a matter of time. Recently Caltrans has seemed to be getting rid of what few transversely grooved bridges were in the state of CA like the plague. I always enjoyed the toll roads because they were exemplary roads regarding CA’s more unique-sounding bridge decks, so it saddens me that that will no longer be the case. Same thing with the 105-many of its bridges, including the viaduct near LAX, have been resurfaced and are a lot quieter as a result. It completely ruins the experience for me. I’ve also dreamed of bridge decks in CA sounding like they do in FL, but unfortunately longitudinal tining in all its deafening silence seems to be what’s trending, all across the country for that matter.

[@zacharyyamashita8554]

@@art_of_the_road As long as they just resurface them with the aggregate concrete sealant, the bridge will still make some noise, but if they completely resurfaced the bridge/overpass with Polyester Concrete, then the noise would be gone forever. The aggregate dampens the bridge deck sound, but only for about 2 years. Caltran's should just use the polyester concrete for much older bridges instead of ones built from 1980-2012.

[@zacharyyamashita8554]

Zack, I think it's just a concrete aggregate sealant, so it will still make noise, but the good thing is, that sealant seals cracks and the noise will return in about 2 years as long as Caltrans doesn't completely longitudinally groove the surface, or completely resurface it with Polyester Concrete.

[@Ocrefrigeration91]

@@zacharyyamashita8554 yes it is the aggregate, still makes noise but not as loud as before, they also didn’t do that longitudinal grooving thank god! The other south bound side is definitely my favorite now because the pitch is so unique, also there’s some 1/2” CTC grooved bridges on south 5 after the flyover but I’d say my personal favorite is the whistle/whine tine Caltrans uses

[@zacharyyamashita8554]

@@Ocrefrigeration91 In a few years, the aggregate wears off, from the rain.

[@SlowedByMaple]

It’s Like the Bridge Sounds in Texas But it’s more Bumpier Sounding

[@hydrolock2307]

I've noticed from my road trip to California that the bridges over there, while 99% of them are longitudinally grooved, a lot of them got a lot of "grumbling" sounds going on, it's really strange. I read through Caltrans documents that they avoided transverse due to noise pollution, but I'd argue that grumble is even louder... And speaking of 99% of them being longitudinal, the very few transversely grooved ones that I went over either had your typical 3/4" whistle or your FL spec droning sound.

[@Ocrefrigeration91]

Hydrolock they recently redid a bridge near my house in Ladera Ranch California orange county area that was transversely grooved one lane is now longitudinal and it’s significantly quieter to the point it just sounds almost like blacktop but I like the transverse grooving better

[@eloc08]

@@Ocrefrigeration91 "Transverse grooving"? Me too

[@Elivayshon]

Sounds like hell's been unleashed.

[@Zsullivan27]

IKR

[@zacharyyamashita8554]

So Why overall did CALTRANS stop Tranverse Grooving on bridge decks, because even though it made road noise, I always thought it was better for traction in rainy weather.

[@art_of_the_road]

Zachary Yamashita Well CA doesn’t receive much rain at all for most of the year, so eliminating road noise probably became the bigger priority.

[@eloc08]

@@art_of_the_road So CA is becoming drier than before?

[@art_of_the_road]

@@eloc08 Yep :/

[@eloc08]

But this could also be heard in Nevada and Arizona.

[@eloc08]

I think transverse is better than longitudinal, because it makes sound, and they feel like “concrete EDM” to me

[@w-josh]

Tranverse sounds better in my opinion, but I did some research and found out that Longitudinal reduces accidents by 69%

[@eloc08]

@@w-josh me too and it's more exciting.

[@nycdrive]

Nice Video. Thanks for the drive. ^ ^

[@mortalkombat1712]

Freeway 15 sounds in California are the best between Victorville and Barstow

[@itsyourboytrippy6201]

0:40 same sound in Virginia

[@jonasknowsweather1250]

And Corpus Christi TX

[@w-josh]

I thought Virginia had GA sound

[@itsyourboytrippy6201]

@@w-josh they do but I heard these California groovings in Virgina likely in Richmond, nor I heard Virginia groovings in the bay area before

[@w-josh]

@@itsyourboytrippy6201 I've never seen longitudinal in Florida or my state (Georgia) edit: there are longitudinal grooves in georgia

[@RealMatthewMorgan]

@@jonasknowsweather1250 Longitudinal bridges basically don’t exist in Corpus Christi. They’re changing all of the bridges (Which maybe used to be longitudinal grooving). To the classic Texas sound which has a grooving pattern like [|||||||||||||].

[@TrsDp8094]

Wow. That is some hard vibration on that bridge. I dont think California has a direct grooving pattern to their bridges, since the times I looked on maps on a couple of bridges like that. The grooving pattern is there, but looks like more pavement that's like over the grooves if that makes sense, making the vibrations I think. But yeah, love the sounds too myself! I have some videos on the eastern coast like MD and such, and they have some interesting grooving patterns as well.

[@art_of_the_road]

Yeah, California's all over the map when it comes to surface texturing techniques for bridge decks. CA started off with simple burlap drag, then switched to longitudinal grooving in the 60s, then for a brief period used transverse grooving, before switching back to longitudinal tining around 2012 or so. The "vibrational" sound is something I've only heard in CA so far, but unfortunately is getting rarer due to complaints from the noise (hence the transition back to longitudinal texturing). Glad to know of someone else who also appreciates this so-called "concrete music" as well!

[@pinehodges185]

@@art_of_the_road I have loved the "California bridge deck music" since age 12 in 1971 when I first became aware of it ... The 1960's burlap drag texture had its own distinctive "hissing" sound which was deeper-sounding on a concrete box-girder bridge versus an open T- beam or steel plate-girder span... Around 1970 or so, CalTrans began finishing bridge decks using a stiff-bristle garage broom, giving the great "growling hiss" of most bridge decks from 1970 onwards... Sincerely, P

[@zacharyyamashita8554]

@@pinehodges185 Like The Hissing Sound of the flyover from 280 south in San Jose to 87 north.

[@zacharyyamashita8554]

@@art_of_the_road Highways 85, 87, and 237 in San Jose have some good sounds.

[@INACTIVEnoton24]

The 85 freeway in San Jose, CA has sounds like that but much louder

[@JRE2540]

I like California's bridge sounds. I can't believe the California Department of Transportation is repaving them with polymer concrete. Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Wyoming, Wisconsin and a ton of other US states are doing the exact same thing.

[@chukwuemekaezejiofor2765]

it uses to sound in virginia

[@concreteconr245]

That SHOULD BE FDOT BRIDGE SOUNDS

[@chigozieezejiofor977]

0:40

[@concreteconr245]

At 0:40 Why?

[@Porschegaming-on7hk]

drawbridge?