Minnesota
Sinusoidal rumble strips
A wave-profile design that alerts drivers with markedly less external noise.
The shared goal is safer streets
Residents are not asking the Commission to abandon traffic safety. We are asking whether the same goal can be achieved without making the homes beside Houston Boulevard absorb the cost in noise and vibration.
Federal guidance also cites studies finding noise impacts tolerable when rumble strips end about 650 feet before residential or urban areas. Homes on the first block of Houston Boulevard are roughly 40 feet from the pavement edge.
“Some simply ban their use in residential areas, while others try other alternatives to improve safety before considering rumble strips.”
Federal Highway Administration, “Mitigating Noise”
What a quieter solution has meant elsewhere
The outcome was not always removal. Governments changed the design, substituted a different device, redesigned an intersection, or moved the treatment away from homes.
Illinois
Modified geometry
Shorter, shallower panels measured 5.6-7.4 dBA quieter at 50 feet while preserving the in-vehicle alert.
Madera County
A different device
A flashing four-way stop was chosen in place of most of the strips.
Dallas
Intersection redesign
A council member committed to pursue re-engineering of the dangerous intersection.
Holly Pond
Quieter vertical treatment
The strips were reworked into a speed-hump-like treatment; nearby residents were reportedly satisfied.
Federal guidance
Removal or relocation
Strips can be discontinued where homes are very close to the road.
At a glance
Not every case ended in removal. None ended with the original installation left unchanged.
| Government | Setting | Year | What they did | Source type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas, Texas | Residential street | 2023 | Removed; committed to redesign | Press |
| Miami Beach - Pine Tree | Residential street | 2022 | Removed within days | Press |
| Miami Beach - Collins Ave | Residential, raised | 2024 | Unanimously recommended removal | City record |
| Ringgold, Georgia | Downtown streets | 2016 | Removed | Press |
| Holly Pond, Alabama | Residential road | 2018 | Modified to a quieter treatment | Press |
| Amherstburg, Ontario | Within about 650 ft of homes | 2018 | Removed | Press |
| Windsor, Ontario | Residential street | 2024 | Removed after pilot | Press, city report |
| Madera County, California | Residential crossroads | 2023 | Most removed; flashing stop instead | Press |
| Victoria, Minnesota | Highway beside homes | 2013 | Removed over MnDOT preference | Press |
| Highland Park, Illinois | Highway, homes about 950 ft away | 2022 | Rebuilt to a quieter specification | University |
| Highway 19, Minnesota | Highway near homes | 2014- | Removed; quieter sinusoidal design | FHWA |
| Highway 61, Minnesota | Highway near homes | 2013- | Filled or removed about 46 miles | FHWA |
Scroll sideways to view the full comparison on a small screen.
Closest comparisons: residential streets
These are the cases nearest to Houston Boulevard: city and town streets with homes alongside, decided by elected councils or city administrations.
Dallas, Texas - Sylvan Avenue
Removed July 2023Rumble strips were installed as a temporary traffic-calming demonstration. Residents reported noise and sleep disruption, and the city transportation department said it did not have data showing whether the strips slowed traffic. They were removed about five weeks later. The road had a known speeding problem and a nearby fatality; the council member said he would pursue funding to reconstruct and redesign the intersection.
Source: Oak Cliff Advocate, June and July 2023Miami Beach, Florida - Pine Tree Drive
Removed in about 5 daysMiami-Dade County installed rumble strips to limit speeding. Nearby residents reported round-the-clock noise, vibration, and lost sleep. After complaints reached a Miami Beach commissioner, the County removed the strips roughly five days after installation.
Source: WPLG Local 10 News, March 10 and 11, 2022Miami Beach, Florida - Collins Avenue
Removal recommendedRaised rumble strips installed to address speeding produced complaints about noise at all hours. A city memorandum reported that measured speeds south of the strips were not considerably above the limit. In February 2024, a city committee unanimously recommended removal and the administration supported it.
Final commission adoption and physical removal were not independently confirmed.
Source: City of Miami Beach Commission Memorandum, Item C7 ZRinggold, Georgia - three downtown roads
Removed 2016The City Council voted to remove rumble strips from three roads after nearby residents complained to the city manager about noise. Public Works had added them alongside a separate stop-sign installation rather than as a separately studied measure.
Official record: City of Ringgold post-agenda, August 22, 2016 Additional context: Northwest Georgia News, September 2016Holly Pond, Alabama - Brooklyn Road
Modified, not removedThe Town Council first voted to remove recently installed strips after noise complaints. After the installation was reworked into a quieter, speed-hump-like form, the council retained the modified treatment; reporting indicated nearby residents were satisfied.
Source: The Cullman Tribune, August-December 2018Amherstburg, Ontario - intersections
Removed 2018Town council voted to remove rumble strips following noise complaints. Reporting noted that most were within roughly 200 metres - about 650 feet - of homes and that residents said the noise affected their quality of life.
This Canadian council was not applying U.S. federal guidance; the similar distance is noted only for comparison.
Source: CBC News, 2018Windsor, Ontario - Grand Marais Road East
Removed 2024After a year-long residential-street pilot, a City of Windsor report found minimal benefit and concluded rumble strips were not very effective for traffic calming in a low-speed urban setting. It also documented residential, durability, and winter-operation concerns.
Source: CBC News and City of Windsor report, October 2024Madera County, California - Road 36 at Avenue 15
Most removed; flashing stopAfter strips were installed at a residential crossroads, residents reported severe nighttime disruption. Within days, the county supervisor reportedly said most would be removed, a further sound reading taken, and a flashing four-way stop installed.
The commitment was reported through a resident relaying the supervisor's statement; no county record confirming completion was located.
Source: KMPH FOX26, June 7, 2023The same reasoning at highway scale
These centerline-strip cases are less directly comparable, but they provide official federal or university evidence that design and proximity to homes matter.
Victoria, Minnesota - Highway 5
RemovedAfter nearby residents reported nighttime noise, the city council recommended removal on their behalf despite MnDOT's preference to retain the strip. The state agreed.
Source: Star Tribune, July 1, 2013Highways 19 and 61, Minnesota
Removed or redesignedOn Highway 19, MnDOT worked with residents, removed strips at identified locations, repaved, and installed an experimental sinusoidal design; FHWA reports no further complaints. On Highway 61, MnDOT filled or removed nearly 46 miles near residential locations after public concern and a noise study.
Source: FHWA Decision Support Guide case studiesHighland Park, Illinois - US-41
Rebuilt quieterIDOT rebuilt transverse strips with shorter panels, a shallower profile, and fewer strips per panel. University of Illinois measurements found external noise fell 5.6-7.4 dBA at 50 feet - roughly a 35-40% reduction in perceived loudness - while the in-vehicle alert remained within the FHWA-recommended range.
The homes were roughly 950 feet away and the strips were milled into asphalt, unlike Houston Boulevard's raised thermoplastic strips. The dimensions do not transfer; the design principle does.
Source: Illinois Center for Transportation, April 2023Sources
Every claim on this page is drawn from the sources used in the handout. Where an outcome could not be confirmed in an official record, that limitation is stated above.
Federal guidance and case studies
Measurement study and official records
What could not be confirmed
Madera County's removal commitment was reported through a resident relaying the supervisor's statement. No county record confirming completion was located. The Amherstburg entry rests on local reporting rather than official minutes. It is included because the pattern is consistent and flagged so readers can weigh it accordingly.