Wednesday, November 11, 2020

Nighttime mystery noise in Bethesda is real (Audio/Video+Photos)

Lights from resurfacing project on
Clara Barton Parkway as seen from
MacArthur Boulevard in Glen Echo

The mysterious, low humming sound keeping some Bethesda residents awake at night is real. I've now heard it myself Friday night/Saturday morning, Monday night/Tuesday morning, and last night. I still cannot definitively confirm that the noise is coming from the resurfacing project on Clara Barton Parkway, but did find that work going on at those times. 


The problem is that the mystery noise is about as loud as resurfacing would be a block away, at a distance of a mile away from the parkway. Yes, there is quite a bit of noise from the road work audible from MacArthur Boulevard directly above it in Glen Echo. But it doesn't seem as loud there as it should be based on the volume at further-away distances, and the noise as recorded here doesn't sound the way it does far away:


Resurfacing Sunday night and early Monday morning was just east of Glen Echo Park on Clara Barton Parkway, as contractors work their way into the District by December. But I will continue investigating, in case this is coming from another source. For now, I've confirmed that, no, you aren't hearing things; the noise is real.




4 comments:

Anonymous said...

SO grateful to you for solving this mystery. We couldn't figure it out!!

Sleepless in Bethesda ...

Anonymous said...

With less traffic (COVID), you hear sounds farther away. We never heard the Beltway from our house before this year, but hear it clearly now. Less ambient noise to block it.

Scott said...

I knew it! My family had suspected it might be the construction on the CB parkway, but couldn't be sure. Wasn't really even an audible noise, more of a very low wave vibration in the ear that caused me a headache and keeping me up. Not sure what the alternative is though, the pavement on the Clara Barton Parkway has been getting really bad...

Anonymous said...

Is this construction still going on? I don't see any more info on the Clara Barton Pway website, but the noise post-holidays seems to have returned.