An experimental strip of pavement along the Prince William County Parkway in the western part of the county has been deemed successful enough at reducing sound from vehicles that the state government is willing to try it out in five other places.

A bill introduced by Fairfax Del. Jim LeMunyon (R) and signed into law by Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) this year instructs VDOT to review whether noise-reducing asphalt can be put into place when paving viable roads that could benefit from it.

One of those places is to the north in Loudoun County on the Route 7 bypass in Leesburg. The four others are on roads in Richmond, Hampton Roads, Williamsburg and Chester.

LeMunyon's legislation came to bare after the Virginia Center for Transportation Innovation and Research, which is a subset of VDOT, studied a section of Route 234 between Balls Ford Road and Sudley Manor Drive.

A 2009 report prepared by the Virginia Transportation Research Council concluded in part that the new type of quiet asphalt called "porous friction course" is "at least a costcompetitive if not a superior alternative to traditional mixes" with few exceptions. However, at the time, the researchers needed more data to determine longer-term effects of the road.

According to a statement from the governor's office, the so-called "open-graded mix" of asphalt is designed to allow air and water to "seep down from the road surface away from tires." It then "reduces hydroplaning, tire noise, and splash and spray. The improved drainage also cuts wet-night glare and improves the visibility of road markings."

Brentsville District Supervisor Wally Covington (R) said he has not received any citizen comments about the effectiveness of the program, which is generally the barometer, he said, he uses to determine whether projects like this are effective.

However, the two-term supervisor said he supports the idea of expanding the project within the county, though two representatives from the county transportation department could not confirm that there were any plans to added more quiet-pavement lanes locally in the near term.

"We usually use traditional asphalt (and) we usually steer pretty clear of using concrete type pavements," said Jeff Raines, a management and fiscal analyst with the county. "But there's nothing saying that we wouldn't in the future."

Department of Transportation construction manager Mohammad Ayyoubi said one of the goals of adding quiet pavement is to eliminate the need for sound walls.

"It's just something new. You just have to experiment," he said, later adding, "It's going to take at least a couple of years."

Covington said he has heard complaints from local residents about sound walls who bought their homes before the walls were erected.

"I would certainly think it would be a useful tool," Covington said of the quiet pavement. "There's no question that the sound walls have been vey controversial."

He identified Innovation Park off of the Prince William County Parkway as one potential area where the new type of asphalt could be used without disturbing residential communities given the amount of commercial traffic from large trucks that use the nearby roads.

Covington also noted that it could be beneficial near the George Mason University town center on the east side of the road.

"It's not a bad consideration," he said.