Living Near BQE
We are thinking of buying a place a few houses from the BQE. One of our main reasons is that we can afford a house with a yard. Would sound/air quality be so bad that it wouldnt be worth it? is the constant noise very annoying? Would love to hear from others who live near…
We are thinking of buying a place a few houses from the BQE. One of our main reasons is that we can afford a house with a yard. Would sound/air quality be so bad that it wouldnt be worth it? is the constant noise very annoying? Would love to hear from others who live near the BQE. thanks.
We are on Kane St between BQE and Columbia.
Noise is primarily line of sight. A building facingthe trench will be relatively quiet on the first two floors, and much louder on upper floors.
As you go a couple of doors away from the trench, the mass of the sidewalls (of the trench) shield you from the noise.
Typically you will never hear any noise from traffic in trench inside the house, but exiting the house on a parlor floor deck to the backyard, you would here the distant traffic while on raised deck but not necessarily in back yard.
The actual 10 seconds walking over the bridge is loud, but blessfully short.
Further from train, but equally far from riff raff and Smith Court crowding.
Bruce
We live right on the bqe in Carroll Gardens. We have a great garden/backyard and a great building. The house has central ac with great air filtration system, sound proofed windows, no noticeable dirt anywhere including windowsills. We hear the trucks here and there, but not much. This place would cost 3-4 times what we paid if it were in Brooklyn Heights proper. No complaints here. Trying to find a study I pulled when we bought 3 years ago. It showed that the pollution levels right next to the BQE and other similar highways was hardly any different at all compared to what levels of pollution exist over .5 of a mile away. In other words, Manhattan, Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill are really not much cleaner than being right on the highway. If I can find it, I post it for you. Good luck
I lived in Fort Greene a few doors down from the BQE for nine years. It took longer than I had hoped for the noise from the highway to vanish into a background hum I didn’t hear anymore, but it eventually did–months, not weeks, though. I had a beautiful, fertile garden, and spent many a night with a glass of wine in my backyard. I never tried to grow anything edible for exactly the reason rfr suggests.
That stretch of the BQE doesn’t have honking problems, only the sound of rushing traffic and vibration.
You mention the importance of being able to afford a back yard. Don’t forget to consider possible lead contamination in the soil from traffic exhaust from all the years before leaded gas was banned.
Just a little scientific note that may or may not help: It is not the particles you can see that do the lung damage, but the invisible ones that penetrate your small air passages. Soot may be just the tip of the iceberg, but the real problem is invisible diesel fumes. You can’t gauge those by dirty windowsills. If dirty windowsills were a disqualification, most of NYC would be vacant. And it is hard to track the air currents and figure out where the real problem ends up. I think I read somewhere that the Upper East Side is one of the worst places for asthmatics. And never live near a bus garage!
Used to live a block away from the BQE in Williamsburg
The sound wasn’t really an issue (sounds sorta like the ocean at night)
But the pollution – yes. Had to clean air conditioner filters every week – typically covered in black soot. Got an air purifier which also got pretty dirty. Windows got pretty dirty as well.
Didn’t mind as I rented, but if I was plunking down a good amount of cash to buy a house – i’d be apprehensive (unless the price takes into account proximity to the BQE)
Good luck!
I live half a block from the BQE in Clinton Hill. Can’t hear it when inside and only occasionally notice the sound when outside on the deck. Haven’t noticed a difference in air quality or soot (and I have asthma). It may not be the best loc but it’s ok if you that’s where the place you love is!
I live on Tiffany Place, in Cobble Hill. Our apt faces the water, so to speak, and we don’t mind the location at all. Would we love it if ‘The Trench’ was finally covered over? Sure, but because we get such a constant wind from the water, we do not have problems with air pollution or dust. We open windows in the summer and such and really have no issues. I like being near the water, so it’s all a trade-off like anything else in NYC.
I used to live three houses from the BQE. I would never do it again.
You can be outside in your yard — that’s not a problem.
But the amount of pollution is unhealthy. You can see it in the weekly buildup of greasy soot on the window sills. Truly disgusting. Particles in air cause heart attacks.
At night, the noise is annoying. You definitely have to sleep with the windows closed. Possibly with an air conditioner or fan on to mask the noise.
Sometimes areas near the highway have a huge tangle of greenery between the houses and the highway. It could be that this acts as an effective barrier against much of the pollution, but I don’t know. Where I was (Carroll Gardens) it was disgusting.