Road pavement develops distresses over time, which increase tyre/road noise. This work
focuses on the impact of these distresses on environmental noise. To calculate the environmental
noise, a method to transform Close ProXimity (CPX) measurement results into the required input for
traffic noise models was defined and used. The tyre/road noise levels were determined by the CPX
method for three types of pavement, with three types of distress, at three dierent speed levels. The
study was carried out in the city center of Guimarães, a medium-sized Portuguese city. Using the
NMPB model, 18 noise maps were produced for the passing of one single vehicle, taking into account
two levels of distress (50% and 100%) for the pavement. The presence of distresses increased the
noise, calculated at control points, by up to 7.1 dBA, and the percentage of the population exposed to
levels over 45 dB was more than 11%. It was shown that pavement maintenance at early stages of
distress development is, particularly for low-speed roads, very important to reduce environmental
noise and population exposure. A comprehensive selection of the type of surface and speed control
policies can mitigate the impact of a lack of maintenance.