TagNoise(310)

This technical memorandum from Landrum & Brown (February 2024) explains that noise modeling for the Seattle-Tacoma Airport (SEA) Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) Environmental Review was updated from AEDT Version 3e to the newer AEDT Version 3f, released December 13, 2023. The upgrade allowed modelers to use actual aircraft data for the Boeing 737-7 and Cessna 408 SkyCourier rather than substitute aircraft, improving modeling accuracy. The document details the specific airframe, engine, and Aircraft Noise and Performance (ANP) data changes made between the two software versions.

The City of Burien and the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding regarding the SR 509 Completion Project Stage 2, which extends the highway from S 188th Street to 24th Avenue South, with portions running through Burien's city limits. The project includes construction of a shared-use path, two roundabouts on S 160th Street, and short noise wall segments adjacent to highway on-ramps. WSDOT is responsible for costs associated with the proposed design and construction, while Burien bears costs for any changes it requests beyond standard design requirements.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's 2024 Fly Quiet Program Annual Report for LaGuardia Airport outlines a voluntary initiative encouraging airlines to reduce noise by flying quieter aircraft and following noise abatement procedures. Airlines are scored on a 100-point scale, with half the points based on fleet noise quality—using FAA aircraft noise stage ratings from Stage 3 (loudest) to Stage 5 Plus (quietest)—and half based on community engagement and pilot training efforts. The program was developed through collaboration with airlines, the FAA, and the public to address the unique challenges of the busy New York/New Jersey airspace.

This document contains scoping comments submitted to the Port of Seattle regarding the Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) environmental review process, compiled by the Quiet Skies Coalition. Community members raised concerns about the lack of long-term human health and environmental impact studies related to aircraft noise and emissions, questioning why the Port had not studied the effects of a four-year increase of 97,000 additional annual flights. The comments request comprehensive assessments covering neighborhoods such as Des Moines, Burien, Tukwila, and Normandy Park, and call for the Port to include worldwide scientific studies on the health effects of aircraft noise and pollution in its environmental review.

This supplemental material accompanies a research study examining whether aircraft noise exposure is linked to poorer sleep among women in the Nurses' Health Study, a large U.S. health cohort. The study measured nighttime and day-night aircraft sound levels near 90 U.S. airports and analyzed their association with self-reported short sleep duration and poor sleep quality. Researchers used detailed statistical methods, including directed acyclic graphs and multivariable models, to account for confounding factors and assess exposure-response relationships.

The Sea-Tac Communities Plan, sponsored by the Port of Seattle and King County, maps the West Reinforcement Area surrounding Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, identifying neighborhoods such as Hazel Valley, Chelsea, Sunny Terrace, Gregory Heights, and Blakley Manor that are affected by aircraft noise. The map uses color coding to highlight the Burien Center commercial core, grid cells where program eligibility is determined by noise criteria alone, streams and ponds, and areas of heavy vegetation. It distinguishes between single-family residential structures and other building types to guide noise mitigation and land-use planning decisions in communities near the airport.