Aviation Noise in Cambridge

This newsletter is intended to give background and updates about aviation noise in Cambridge. Currently, updates are mainly focused on plane noise from Logan airport and the on-going study by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Massport and MIT to review and analyze alternatives to spread out noise from concentrated flight paths. See below for additional background.   To help residents access this information as well as other newsletters, alerts, reminders, and updates related to projects across City departments, we have launched a new page at www.CambridgeMA.gov/Subscribe . Check it out.   Please share this newsletter with neighbors and encourage them to sign up to receive it. Sign Up for this Newsletter

Airplane Noise Context

Given its proximity to Logan Airport and downtown Boston, Cambridge has long experienced noise from aviation, including airplanes and helicopters. With new technologies and federal policies, patterns of noise have shifted in recent years in Cambridge with some people experiencing additional noise, and others less.   To advocate for residents with Massport and FAA on these issues, the City is actively represented on the Massport Community Advisory Committee (MCAC) which meets regularly. Meetings are open to the public. See the link below for more information about on-going work of the MCAC and meeting dates.  Visit the MCAC webpage

MIT Noise Mitigation Study

After the implementation of new electronic waypoint and area navigation (RNAV) procedures by the FAA and Massport in 2014, flight paths off Logan’s runway 33L became more concentrated over parts of north and west Cambridge. This resulted in increased noise for residents in those neighborhoods. In response, several communities near Cambridge worked together to raise this problem with Massport and the FAA. This resulted in the FAA initiating a study through Massport and conducted by MIT, to review flight path alternatives that would break up the concentration of noise so that it is more fairly spread around communities to the North and West of the airport .   This study is the first of its kind in the nation, with MIT experts analyzing how to mitigate the results of area navigation technology. Because it is a pioneering study, the process has taken more time than anticipated. The MCAC hopes that the FAA will finish the study as soon as possible and make recommendations before fall 2019. A community meeting in Cambridge will be scheduled once the proposals from the study are formally available and data is provided.  For further information, see the City of Cambridge Logan webpage .

‌ ‌ ‌

CambridgeMA.gov/CDD