Properties next to Highways

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

I want to know what the OP did!

FWIW, I live next to a highway. 65 mph. Not constant traffic, connects a 3000 person town to a 1000 person town. So some farm semis, people going to work, etc.

I like it. It is great in the winter vs. living in the middle of nowhere. Also, our setback to put up a fence is 50 feet from the edge of the shoulder and there is a huge ditch. It would take some pretty impressive driving to actually hit our fence. My horse facility (fence, dry lot, etc.) is about 400 feet away anyway, although I may fence in the hwy pasture at some point. I could see having some sheep there and using it for summer turnout occasionally to rest my main pasture.

Having a road on two sides and a huge shelter belt means I don’t have a lot of the neighbor issues you read about on here.

One thing to watch for is how close you are to a stop sign. I am a mile away, so I don’t get that horrible breaking noise semis can make.

[Mosey_2003]

You get used to the noise. The worse part is people calling animal control if you have animals within sight. My girl friend, before she bought her new place, had the interstate right next to her barn/pasture. People constantly called because her pigs were out in the mud, her sheep looked thin (HOW? They’re covered in wool!), her pony was blindfolded, etc. It was insane. I was there at least weekly, she was NOT abusing her animals.

[DHCarrotfeeder]

[QUOTE=RedRyderKy;6863196]
Anyone here have or has had a farm next to a major roadway? We are interested in a property located next to a 4 lane limited access highway. I want to know just how bad the noise, fumes, etc are. I do have the concern of animals getting loose and godforbid make it over/through multiple barriers and onto the highway.
Thanks![/QUOTE]

Fumes are not likely to be an issue unless you’re alongside of a climb that will get the trucks cranking.

Noise is an issue if there is enough downhill to get the truckers using their exhaust brakes. Likewise, any area that has direct line-of-sight exposure to the traffic will be subject to the steady whine of tire noise.

The horses probably won’t care a whole bunch but you will. And horses that visit from elsewhere will also struggle with the noise energy.

David

[Field_of_Dreams_Mini]

We lived right alongside I-70 in Washington PA. After a while, you do tend to tune out the highway sounds. We were above the highway, on a hill. There was a treeline that blocked a lot of the noise and sound. PennDOT did keep up the security fence, none of our horses got onto the highway, although my Lab did give me heart failure one day when I called him and he and the other Lab the FO had were ALONGSIDE THE HIGHWAY! Fortunately, no one hit them and they came right back.

Never had anyone come up and bother us, but I think the hill and gully stopped that. We did find a safe one day in the driveway, filled with drugs! A pharmacy had been ripped off and they ditched the safe in our drive. All that was missing was the oxtcontin, from what the police and TV reports said.