News

Using SoftSound™ absorptive sound wall, the Ministry of Transportation achieves its goal of quickly replacing an aging highway sound barrier.

MIDLAND, VA., Nov, 2015 – SoftSound™, When the existing noise barriers on Highway 417 in Ottawa began to show their age, The Ministry of Transportation (MTO) installed 15,000 square feet of absorptive sound wall containing SoftSound^TM to replace the aging structures. Made with superior sound absorptive technology, the precast wall was installed as part of a larger, highway widening and rehabilitation project.

Ohio becomes the most recent state to approve the use of SoftSound™ absorptive noise wall panels on highways and roads.

MIDLAND, VA., October 28, 2014 – SoftSound™, Easi-Set Worldwide’s sound-absorptive, noise wall product, is gaining both state and provincial approvals as the product becomes more widely known for its unique qualities and ease of use.

Currently being installed on the Dulles International Airport Connector Road, ground-mounted sound walls incorporate a sound-absorptive finish that is manufactured to the industry's highest quality standards.

Many U.S. States and Canadian provinces require the performance of a salt scaling test as one of the conditions for approval of a sound-absorptive product. This test, ASTM C672 or CSA A23.2, is performed to determine the resistance of concrete exposed to freeze-thaw cycles in the presence of various de-icing road salts. When applied to a porous material, such as SoftSound, samples are submerged in a salt solution and subjected to 50 freeze-thaw cycles, after which a visual evaluation of deterioration is made and loose particles are weighed. This is a particularly demanding test for porous materials as the full mass of the product is in contact with the salt solution while being subjected to the expansion forces of freezing salt water.

Easi-Set is continuing its efforts of getting SoftSound approved in the United States and Canadian provinces. This includes submitting test results that vary for each regulatory agency. Easi-Set recently obtained approval from the Province of Ontario, where the requirements to test for were: a Sound Absorption Coefficient of 70% (ASTM C423); Flame Spread and Smoke-Developed Classification (CAN/ULC-S102.2); Freeze-Thaw Resistance (ASTM C666); and Salt Scaling Resistance (Modified ASTM C672).

In September of this year, Dominic Girotti, President elected to add the SoftSound absorptive noise wall to his existing product lines. SoftSound has passed all of the Ontario-required tests for approval. Additionally, Hy-Grade will be providing their company-specific sound wall design for approval and also having their plant approved as a part of becoming an Ontario Ministry of Transportation provider for noise wall. Hy-Grade is also a licensed producer of J-J Hooks barrier and Easi-Set/Easi-Span Precast Buildings.

MIDLAND, VA. – Smith-Midland (a SoftSound licensed producer) just completed, the Princess Anne Road sound wall project bringing their total of SoftSound sound absorptive wall installed to over 1 million square feet in just under 4 years. Princess Anne Road was a small, but important project. 8 foot high panels along a residential neighborhood in Virginia Beach, VA were designed and finished to match the brick and mortar work of the nearby VA Beach Municipal Center. Construction of the 650 foot long project consisted of 9,000+ square feet of 8 foot high x 16 foot wide panels and accompanying posts.

MIDLAND, VA. - Easi-Set Worldwide recently announced that its proprietary sound-absorptive noise wall product - SoftSound - passed the "flame spread" test. The test was performed in accordance with ASTM E84 Standard Test Method for Surface Burning Characteristics of Building Materials using the 25' tunnel method. This is just one of a battery of successful environmental tests that have been performed on the SoftSound product to ensure its acceptance by state and provincial authorities. SoftSound has an NRC rating of 0.80, passed the 300+freeze/thaw cycle test, has a minimum MOR (modulus of rupture) of 170psi, an STC of 50 and OITC of 45. In addition, the noise barrier wall product meets salt spray and stain requirements. The SoftSound product is approved for use by both the Commonwealth of Virginia and the state of Maryland and has been installed on major highways in both jurisdictions.

$7.8 Million Contract is Largest in Company's 50-Year History

MIDLAND, VA. - Smith-Midland Corporation has been awarded a contract to construct a precast concrete soundwall along the new Intercounty Connector in Montgomery County, Md.

MIDLAND, VA. - Smith-Midland Corporation has announced the introduction of SoftSound to its Easi-Set Worldwide product line. The latest sound-absorptive technology for use in highway noise walls, SoftSound is a proprietary composition that is molded and compressed to suit the desired technical and aesthetic requirements of the customer. By combining special aggregates with cement as a binder in a specific and exacting process, SoftSound creates a material that surpasses any other combination of durability, acoustics, thermal, strength and moldability.