Ricondo Leads First-Ever Joint FAA-Community Airport Noise Study
Due to the proximity of Boston Logan International Airport to residential communities in the Boston area, the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) has been working to minimize the impacts of noise on the airports surrounding neighbors for more than 40 years.
Because Massport was one of the first airport operators in the nation to install a noise monitoring system in nearby communities, it’s only fitting it was the first operator in the country to embark on a joint noise study project with the FAA: FAA, Massport, and the Logan Airport Community Advisory Committee all had an equal say in the outcome.
Ricondo was selected to lead the technical portions of the project, along with serving as moderator throughout the decision-making process and to ensure the diverse stakeholders’ interests and voices were heard. The study was a requirement of the Boston Logan Airside Environmental Impact Statement, and encompassed an area within a 20 nautical-mile radius of the airport.
This multiyear, multiphased study included evaluating air traffic procedures and detailed noise analyses; using supplemental noise metrics; analyzing shoreline crossings; reviewing traffic movement over communities; implementing technical methodologies; identifying alternatives to reduce aircraft noise within and outside the area exposed to specific sound levels; and conducting public outreach programs.
Various milestones and metrics were delivered during each phase, with the final phase culminating in a 2017 final report that included a recommended Runway Use Program to outline and report on the frequency of aircraft runway use in order to minimize noise exposure to the adjacent communities.
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