Adding noise

Arkansas Highway 549 offers plenty of convenience for Highlands residents, but the highway is also adding noise to the area.

Jay Pearce said he lives just up a hill from Arkansas Highway 549, on Hanna Lane on the north end of Bentonville.

His home, he said, is near the roundabout, and the traffic noise has been significant. He can see the value of having this road, he said, but he doesn’t appreciate the sound it produces.

“It really carries,” he said. “We’re not even that close to it — that’s what surprised me.”

Arkansas Highway Transportation Department spokesman Danny Straessle said noise abatement was not warranted during construction for subdivisions that were platted and built after the decision was made in April of 2000 for the highway to be built.

The department’s environmental division is going to take readings to determine if noise levels meet impact criteria, he said. If they do the department will consider solutions.

Pearce said he can’t even see the highway from his house, but he can hear it. There are some areas, he said, where one can be closer and hear less noise. His situation, he said, is the result of unfortunate topography.

Additionally, he said, the temperature has an impact on how much he hears. Cold air, he said, seems to transmit the noise of tires on road better.

The traffic circle, he said, also leads to more traffic noise. Because the traffic circle forces drivers to slow and sometimes stop, they then need to accelerate again, meaning more engine noise as they rev through their gears.

“I’m just frustrated because we didn’t buy a house near a highway,” he said, “they put the highway in near us.”