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Nighttime noise pollution in Green Lake

What do you think? (43 Comments) November 18, 2009 at 10:53PM

There’s been some noise pollution in the neighborhood lately.

Johanna writes:

My husband and I live just behind the Greenlake fire station, and we’ve noticed a really loud humming or whirring sound nearby in recent months.  It only happens late at night, and it sounds like helicopters are circling directly overhead for hours on end.  It really grates on the ears during an otherwise quiet night, even when our double-paned windows are tightly shut.  Do you know what that sound might be, or has anyone else complained about it?

and, last night on twitter these two tweets popped up:

Ok, @wsdot, I’ve had it with construction noise on I-5 near green lake. What gives?? It’s been months! – @tackyspoons

#greenlake, 65th&Latona, This very load sound of a helicopter circling has been going on 15+ minutes! It can’t be I5 roadwork, can it? – @MitchSpute

Anyone else hearing loud noises?  Beyond I-5 construciton, any clue what the cause might be?

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What do you think? (43 Comments)
  • winnekat

    I think I-5 construction is the explanation – crazy that it's THAT loud. We got home around 10pm last night (we live at 5th and 71st) and absolutely thought it was a plane/helicopter. But I think it's just the construction!

  • Wallyhood
  • Jenna

    I live off Woodlawn & 73rd and for the past two nights I've heard something that sounded like a loud motor between 11-1. Initially, we thought it was a helicopter as well.

  • Steps2LightMassage

    Could be the repavement of I5

  • Steps2LightMassage

    Could be the repavement of I5

  • Guest

    Apparently that is the pleasant sound of not only repaving (which I imagine would be relatively quiet, on its own?), but grinding down the actual pavement. Kind of like refinishing your wood floor, I guess. :P WSDOT offers to mail us industrial-strength earplugs as a consolation for months of this!

  • trickycoolj

    I've been hearing it nightly since early summer, I'm at 107th and Meridian which is the SB onramp at Northgate where they're parking all the equipment. I've always thought it was the WSP helicopter going up and down I-5 until I saw this article: http://blog.seattlepi.com/transportation/archiv…

    “Some residents have been fed up with the late-night noise, which sounds like a a turboprop plane taking off.”

    Never could figure out why WSP had enough money to run the helicopter to catch bad drivers every night at exactly 11pm! Can't believe it took almost 6 months for it to dawn on me what was going on. I'm just glad it's closed-window season for sleeping now. At least I can block out the noise with some quiet music as I fall asleep.

  • trickycoolj

    I've been hearing it nightly since early summer, I'm at 107th and Meridian which is the SB onramp at Northgate where they're parking all the equipment. I've always thought it was the WSP helicopter going up and down I-5 until I saw this article: http://blog.seattlepi.com/transportation/archiv…

    “Some residents have been fed up with the late-night noise, which sounds like a a turboprop plane taking off.”

    Never could figure out why WSP had enough money to run the helicopter to catch bad drivers every night at exactly 11pm! Can't believe it took almost 6 months for it to dawn on me what was going on. I'm just glad it's closed-window season for sleeping now. At least I can block out the noise with some quiet music as I fall asleep.

  • maitaijim

    We live at the top of the hill in Maple Leaf and we've heard the circling aircraft noise for years, long before the I-5 resurfacing began. They sound very different. The I-5 sound is a constant hum and the aircraft sound has a distinct Doppler effect to it. It happens late at night or very early in the morning and goes on for hours.

    The aircraft noise is particularly irritating in the warmer months sleeping with the windows open. I hope someone can figure out who it is and make them stop.

    Any possibility it's pilot training?

  • catburns

    YES! So glad I'm not going crazy. For the last few days from 12am till about 3am I've been hearing a loud humming noise. Sounds like it's work on I-5. What is happening?!

  • mygreenlake

    Hi Cat,

    Wallyhood.org found this great link: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/I5/SeattlePave… and trickycoolj shared this: http://blog.seattlepi.com/transportation/archiv…. It appears as though the sound may be pavement grinding.

    However, other readers have indicated that there is another noise, in addition to the construction sounds…not sure what this could be. Aircraft of some kind?

  • Anne

    I've been wondering what the heck that noise is! Thanks for letting me know. It has kept me awake in the middle of the night. When I opened my window it was crazy loud. They are working in the pouring rain even.

  • marie_stella

    It was bad last night. At first I thought someone was mowing their lawn…. in the middle of the night.

  • Guest
  • KapsnerHomes

    We are at 61st and Latona and was SO annoyed at the all-night helicopter (or at least I thought!) circling overhead a few months ago, too! Then after a late-night dinner with friends one night, I ran into traffic on I-5, and slowly passed the lovely pavement-breaking machine which is essentially many jackhammers breaking the pavement at different times (hence the helicopter-like thump-thump sound) , moving inches at a time. As soon as I heard that noise up close, I knew that was the noise! Thus solves my mystery of the phantom all-night helicopter at Greenlake. And yes, I noticed this week that the noise it back after a brief hiatus. Can you say ear plugs? :)

  • BrainInAJar

    It's so funny how many people were sure the noise was a helicopter–my husband and me included! So many nights last summer we said “Whoa, there must be a bad accident on the freeway!” We're on 59th & Latona and I usually enjoy the sound of the freeway–to me it is like a soothing stream. But that grinder noise was something else! We would turn on a loud fan to drown it out. And then the other night….it's baaaaaaaack!

  • Guest

    I remember first noticing the sound when that rash of muggings were going on around our neighborhood–I thought the noise was from helicopters patrolling the area after another incident, looking for the perps. After it went on for weeks and weeks though, I figured the SPD couldn't seriously be devoting that much energy to hovering over the lake!!… and now I know that since the sound of I-5 traffic ricochets off the walls of neighboring buildings during the day, it was doing the same thing at night… directly into our windows. Let's hope it really will all be over in December, as WSDOT promises.

  • kindearth

    I just got hit with the worst of the noise the past 2 nights and, yes, I stuck my head out the window for a long time looking for the helicopter. It is I5 roadwork (grinding), and they have moved a bit south so it is not so bad for me. Email the WSDOT on this link (via @wallyhood) if it is really bad http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/I5/SeattlePave… they offer earplugs, white noise machines and even motel vouchers.

  • tackyspoons

    I'm still up at 2am because the noise is so loud, it's as if there's someone right outside my window. The WSDOT web site says they'll be done on the 23rd, but we've been putting up with this for MONTHS. I need sleep.

  • marie_stella

    hahaha.. i live there too! we're neighbors!

  • tackyspoons

    An update: A huge thank you to Laura from the WSDOT, who just hand-delivered a white noise machine that will hopefully mask the noise of the project for the next few days. Thrilled to have a possible solution for our lack of sleep! Sounds like their team really wants the project to be done, too!

    If the noise is too much for you, they will loan you a white noise machine or give you earplugs — for more info, contact benderb@wsdot.wa.gov.

  • http://www.tackyspoons.com/ tackyspoons

    An update: A huge thank you to Laura from the WSDOT, who just hand-delivered a white noise machine that will hopefully mask the noise of the project for the next few days. Thrilled to have a possible solution for our lack of sleep! Sounds like their team really wants the project to be done, too!

    If the noise is too much for you, they will loan you a white noise machine or give you earplugs — for more info, contact benderb@wsdot.wa.gov.