How close is too close - I-540 (Raleigh, Morrisville: townhomes, neighborhood)

[HockeyMomNC]

For those who live near the existing 540 - how close are you and how is
the noise?

We are considering a neighborhood near the proposed Southern 540 - the
house is not directly attached to the highway, but pretty close (about 1/3 mile).

For those that are near the existing highway- how bad is it?
TIA

[SunnyKayak]

one third of a mile from an interstate highway will not sheild you from the noise.
For someone not use to it, the noise will seem rather loud or stand out.
Once you get use it to just when different noises happen on the highway will it be noticeable like when there is a deep gear change on tractor trailer.
Trees are great buffers but depending on what type of trees will help if it is mostly pine or other similar trees you will be ok but other than that expect louder noise once the leaves fall.

You will hear noise regardless so consider this for your home or impact it will have on resale.

[Dire Wolf]

Also keep in mind that the plans for 540 are not firm.

[upchurch]

I lived about a 1/4 mile from the highway and it was like it was in my backyard on many days. Differs depending on winds. You really need over half a mile, closer to 1 mile to be safe from noise.

[Erin1264]

It's bad for resale. I sold a home in NC very close to a 2-lane state road and prospective buyers constantly commented on the road noise.

[mkal]

You could go to Breckenridge in Morrisville and check it out. That's what i and my husband did when we were considering Harmony Glen. We parked near the townhomes that are close to 540. We couldn't stand the constant drone. One of the reasons we decided against Glen. We did the same in Long Lake, North Raleigh. We parked on one of the streets where we could hear Glenwood traffic. It was awful.

[tsmithgolf2000]

I agree with upchurch, I live a little less than 1/2 mile from a highway and I never notice car/highway noise. But there are houses in my neighborhood that are 1/4 mile a away and from there you can hear the car/highway noises but it's not that loud, and probably don't even notice it once your used to it. I would say if you don't want to hear anything at all then live atleast 1/2 mile away.

I would also imagine/hope that the part of 540 that border residential developments will have the big highway wall that will help drowned out noises.

[HappyNCGirl]

We used to live about 1/4 mile off of US 1. The road noise made me crazy. The highway surface was concrete which seems to amplify the sound.

We now live about 3/8 mile off of I-40 and I have absolutely no complaints about road noise. In fact, we love the ultra convenience of the easy highway access.

I actually am very surprised that being that near I-40 isn't a problem for me. We can hear a distant drone of traffic, but it is far from intrusive as compared to living near US 1. My husband's theory is that the fact that the road surface is smooth asphalt apparently results in way less road noise as compared to tires on concrete. Sounds crazy I know.

Now my ever-patient spouse doesn't have to listen to daily complaints about road noise. Instead, he gets to hear my daily whining about the trains which sound like they are headed straight for the house!

[Francois]

I live maybe 1/5 of a mile from 540 (in the North) and was there before the highway came through (we knew it would be coming). I don't find the noise that bad, but there are some good trees between me and there, too. Only when a huge truck comes by do I even think about it.

[Nickc121]

I live off of church street in Morrisville, maybe a mile from 540. I can't hear it but a mile is quite a ways. But hey, some people said I wouldnt like morrisville because of train and plane noise and they were wrong. I never hear trains. I hear planes very frequently but it doesnt bother me. It's only loud if your house is very quiet, no tv, music, kids. Plus, planes don't run frequently at night. You get used to things. I wouldnt let traffic noise stop me. After awhile you'll never notice it.