Fans vs. Freeway

Have you walked across the pedestrian overpass that crosses over the beltline just down the hill from Cary Parkway (toward Crossroads Mall)? Yesterday afternoon I took noise readings from the pedestrian walkway about 75 feet from each end of the pedestrian bridge. This was 3:30 PM on a typical August Sunday afternoon, from a high altitude perch. On the east side, standing where the greenway runs along the earthen berm that shields the apartments from freeway noise, noise levels were running most of the time in the range of 62-68 dba. On the west side, where DOT built a sound barrier for residents, the walkway descends fast enough that the wall begins to have an effect within 75 feet of the bridge, and readings were in the 60-65 dba range. On either side of the freeway, backyards would measure significantly lower (because of the wall on one side or the earthen berm on the other). Some residences in MacGregor Downs are now being subjected to fan noise levels on a par with being suspended in the air near an 8-lane freeway. (See MacGregor Downs residential noise levels.)