Tweed To Measure Decibels

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by Jacob Cohn | Jul 14, 2011 3:55 pm

(7) Comments | Commenting has been closed | E-mail the Author

Posted to: Transportation, Morris Cove, The Annex

Jacob Cohn Photo In what is being billed as an effort to improve its relationship with the community, Tweed-New Haven Airport has begun a $425,000 study of how much noise it is making. Some in the neighborhood said they fear the study is just a precursor to airport expansion.

The voluntary study, 95 percent of which is being paid for by a grant from the Federal Aviation Administration, is being conducted over a period of several months.

Wyle, the Virginia-based engineering firm hired by Tweed to conduct the study, aims to present the results to the FAA by May 2012.

Tweed presented its plans to the community at an informational meeting held Wednesday evening at Nathan Hale School. Representatives from the airport and Wyle were on hand to take questions from the community. Though no presentation was given, information about Tweed’s plans for the study was on display.

Tim Larson, executive director of the Tweed-New Haven Airport Authority, said that the study came out of a “memorandum of understanding” signed by Tweed representatives, Mayor John DeStefano and East Haven Mayor April Capone. It established the airport’s goals of improving transparency and “reaching out to the community,” Larson said. He also said that the study would create jobs.

The study will involve a computer model that will chart noise levels in the area around Tweed, based on flight patterns. The study will eventually create a noise contour map charting decibel exposure levels. (Click here to see the results of a similar study at Bradley International Airport, including noise contour maps.)

The results of the study will be evaluated by the FAA. Depending on how Tweed’s noise output stacks up against federal guidelines, Tweed may request a grant to help certain homes mitigate airport noise—for example, by providing sound insulation, said Jawad Rachami of Wyle.

Some neighbors at Wednesday’s meeting approached the study with skepticism. One was John Savinelli, who recently joined Tweed’s community advisory committee. Savinelli, who said he has lived on Burr Street in East Shore for nearly 50 years, said that while he is not “anti-airport,” “everything the airport has done wasn’t necessarily in the best interests of the neighborhood.”

Savinelli complained specifically about flights at night. Though an ordinance prohibits flights taking off or landing after 11 p.m., Savinelli said this has been ignored. He said that his family has also had trouble with fumes from plane engines and that Tweed had not addressed their complaints.

“We’re never quite sure if they’re telling us the truth,” Savinelli said.

Kevin Buterbaugh, who lives nearby on Townsend Avenue, also said that planes have been flying during the early morning, despite Tweed’s assurances that this would not happen. While Tweed is generally quiet as airports go, Buterbaugh said, “my wife and I have been disturbed by some of the noise coming out of Tweed.”

Both Buterbaugh and Savinelli questioned Tweed’s decision to pursue the study. While they said they no problems with the study itself—“Knowing how much noise the airport creates can be helpful,” Buterbaugh said—they both feared that the study foreshadows an expansion of the airport, despite Tweed’s claims that this is not the case. Buterbaugh claimed that other studies had been followed by disruptive change, and pointed out that the airport has recently purchased and demolished several houses at the foot of its north runway.

“Tweed has wanted to expand for years, and I don’t believe them,” Buterbaugh said.

Both Buterbaugh and Savinelli put in a good word for Larson as director—Buterbaugh said he believes Larson wants to “help people”—but according to Savinelli, “sometimes it’s even bigger than him.”

Larson said that an expansion of the airport is not part of the study’s goals and is not being pursued in the short term. He said that the airport is interested in increasing passenger flow and has been in talks with express carriers to possibly create a service between New Haven and Washington, D.C. at some point in the future. (A previous service to Washington via US Airways Express ended in 2001; the airline currently operates the only scheduled flights from New Haven, all to Philadelphia.)

Larson said that small airports have more difficulties in the current airline climate; the number of the country’s main airlines, or “legacy carriers,” will be reduced to four after the merger of United Airlines and Continental Airlines. With economic woes hurting the remaining airlines, any expansion of service at Tweed may very well be stuck on the tarmac for the near future.

Comments

posted by: Bill Saunders on July 14, 2011 4:48pm

I predict the noise level will come in somewhere between 110db -120db, when measured from the runway, and between 80db-1000db when measured from the adjoining neighborhoods, depending on distance from the source.

Can I get a cut of that 425k now???

posted by: Limited Life on July 15, 2011 7:47am

So measuring the noise at Tweed creates jobs. Just explain that one to me, Mr Larson.

posted by: thesixteenwords on July 15, 2011 1:11pm

Tweed is not going to get significant usage in the future. The economics of the airline industry dictate that. Not to mention that for travel to Boston, NY, Philadelphia, Washington, the train is a convenient choice.

There are two routes that I think would be useful: a puddle jumper to JFK and United Express to Chicago. Both of these routes would connect Tweed to airports with a greater range of destinations than Philadelphia. New Haven loses significant air travel because it doesn’t have a connection to major international airports. Most people coming to Yale to study or visit are not flying into Tweed. If they could, say, take United from Los Angeles to Chicago to New Haven, they probably would. International students definitely would because it would be much more convenient than the current shuttle system. And, it would be much better for New Haveners as well, and would create jobs.

At the same time, we need to push for improved train travel. A real high speed solution, like the one offered by Amtrak, would a) decrease travel times and b) create jobs in New Haven. The commuter rail line planned to go from Springfield to New Haven through Hartford would definitely help add jobs to Union Station. It would give further incentive to build the needed parking garage and to get some positive development in the immediate area.

posted by: The Count on July 15, 2011 1:33pm

You can’t win with these people. The airport bought land from East Haven the opponents thought they “overpaid.” If it was less, the airport would have been “taking advantage of” East Haven.
It must really burn the collective derrieres of Tweed’s enemies that the airport “saved” East Haven from debt.
As for your “prediction,” Mr. Saunders, perhaps you should join President Obama’s Economic Team. ONE THOUSAND DECIBELS? Wow!!

posted by: ozzie on July 16, 2011 1:59pm

Lets see you buy a house next to an airport that’s been there for almost a hundred years and complain about the noise levels. Get real ! That’s like buying a house next to a garbage dump and complaining about the smell .On top of that they should expand and add service (one flight a day) to both Myrtle Beach and maybe Ft. Lauderdale. Then you would see the airport make big money instead of being a drain on the Taxpayers and the City.

posted by: JOHN on July 18, 2011 6:30pm

OZZIE you hit it right on the head!! I have been saying for YEARS that the people around the airport just need to move, complaints complaints complaints- the planes are too loud, don’t expand the airport, dont cut the tops of my trees to increase safety… NO wonder the airport cant grow.. I flew tweed before and it was soooo convenient!! I now go to westchester or the pain in the butt and more expensive Hartford airport. Only because I am not a fan of USAIR. I keep saying get Jet Blue and or Southwest to come!!!! TWEED though your neighbors dont like you I still love you…lol

posted by: steve on July 18, 2011 9:32pm

Reply to “thesixteenwords”.I also feel tweed will never become a large operation,but your comment about chicago is a good one.Along with atlanta,these two hubs could cover about 90% of all connections needed by area travelers and if usairways could be persuaded to add service to charlotte,this would be just what the area needs and would eliminate the need for bradley field and the new york airports.Service to these hubs would involve about 12 to 15 daily departures spread out over the day.
When the last of the obstructing trees are gone,it will give airlines a clear picture of the operational capabilities needed to plan new service.
I have flown out of tweed for years and it is a breeze,no traffic jams,no 20 planes backed up waiting for take off,no having to arrive at the airport several hours early,no crowds to deal with,in general,an easy start and finish to any trip by air.

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