ᐅ Plot near the highway – is it worth it?

Created on: 16 Mar 2022 20:37
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NilsHolgersson
Hello everyone,

we found a plot of land in a rural area: sufficiently large, perfect and quick public transport connections to the big city, no high-voltage power lines – there is only one “but”:
next to it runs a motorway / highway A9. The straight-line distance is about 400 meters (about 440 yards). There is a large noise barrier, so the noise level is definitely acceptable.
We plan to build a detached house (solid construction, sand-lime brick), triple glazing, and controlled mechanical ventilation.
We have a small baby, and my concern is the possible air pollution due to the motorway. There is also a large forest nearby.
Do you have any experience with something like this? Or is the distance large enough to be considered safe? Otherwise, this would be an ideal option for us.
Thank you very much!
Best regards
NilsHolgersson
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Costruttrice
17 Mar 2022 11:11
I was more concerned about the noise than the air quality. We experienced a similar situation as you described, with a noise barrier and a residential area located east of the highway. Depending on the wind direction or if the road was wet, it sounded like the traffic was passing right at your feet. It was especially “nice” during holiday seasons when the highway was busy around the clock. I couldn’t sleep with the window open and could hear the noise even through closed windows—although others might be less sensitive to it.

What was more disturbing wasn’t the constant background noise that was always there, but the particularly loud days caused by wind or wet road surfaces.

On the ground floor, the noise was noticeably less audible than on the first floor, even though there were buildings in between.
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NilsHolgersson
17 Mar 2022 22:51
gutentag schrieb:

Is the plot west or east of the A9?
Slightly east. Does that make a difference? 🙂
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WilderSueden
17 Mar 2022 23:30
The wind mainly comes from the west. On the east side of the highway, you will therefore generally experience more noise and exhaust emissions.
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Fuchsbau35
18 Mar 2022 07:11
I also believe that traffic noise is more decisive than possible exhaust emissions, etc. I grew up in the Ruhr area on a main road and have always lived in a larger city. By now, I find the constant traffic noise extremely disturbing and stressful. I currently live almost next to a highway feeder road, and the tram runs right in front of the house. We are now building in a village 2 meters (1.2 miles) from the highway. It is quiet there, and I am really looking forward to it. We also looked at plots in a new development area about 300 meters (330 yards) next to the A5. There, the traffic noise would always be audible. I have reviewed the city’s noise protection report for that area. It would not have been suitable for us. Sleeping with open windows would be like it is now in the city.
Jessi_9024 Mar 2022 09:11
Also consider that the noise can actually be quite challenging. You can probably get used to a certain level, but there is a limit, and eventually it just becomes overwhelming. You should really think carefully about whether it is worth it.
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Nice-Nofret
24 Mar 2022 09:31
If the terrain is relatively flat and you cannot see the highway, the noise is usually not as loud. In our case, the highway is on the opposite side of the valley; houses below us hear much less noise than we do. Noise tends to spread upward in a funnel shape...