Black and low-income neighborhoods in Hampton Roads are exposed to far more transportation noise than wealthier, white areas, according to a new study. Researchers said the disparity raises the risk of serious, long-term health problems.
A preliminary study led by Christopher Newport University professor John Finn and Eastern Virginia Medical School medical student Lauren Hill linked higher noise levels to cardiovascular disease, hearing loss, diabetes, sleep disruption and depression. The study found that poorer communities, often predominantly Black neighborhoods, are especially vulnerable due to closer proximity to highways or rail lines and housing with thin walls or single-pane windows that block less noise.
Hill said noise pollution can cause stress both consciously, when loud sounds irritate, and subconsciously, even at levels people may tune out.
“The higher poverty a neighborhood is, the louder the transportation noise pollution in that neighborhood is,” said Finn, who researches racial and socioeconomic geography.
Mariners’ Museum Park, the quietest park in Hampton Roads, is in a neighborhood that is 62% white and 23% Black. Two of the loudest parks, Ashby Street Park and Berkley Community Center, are in areas that are 38% white and 42% Black, where poverty rates are nearly double those near the quietest park, according to the study.
Lambert's Point is among the loudest neighborhoods with a majority Black population in Norfolk, according to Finn. Bordering a major rail yard, residents endure frequent train traffic that adds to the constant hum of transportation noise along Hampton Boulevard - a major artery for semitrucks rumbling too and from Norfolk International Terminal.
Michael Judkins, who has lived a block away from the train tracks in Lambert's Point for eight years, said he can feel the vibrations from passing trains, even in the middle of the night.
“It'll scare you if you're sleeping,” Judkins said.
Dillon Ferry, who also lives in the neighbourhood, said the noise isn’t “too terribly bad” when he’s inside his home.
“But you can definitely hear the train coming through during the day, and different motors from heavy equipment,” Ferry said.
Noise concerns in neighborhoods like Lambert's Point reflect a broader pattern, according to Finn, who said highways were placed intentionally through mostly Black neighborhoods.
Finn suggested that the city should build “high-quality, effective sound barriers” along major highways and arterial roads to protect residents from noise pollution.
