Sound Solutions? Homes in Burlington Airport flight path may not get relief for years
By Dom Amato
Dec. 9, 2021
SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – A first-of-its-kind project is underway to reduce the noise from commercial air traffic at the Burlington airport and the extremely loud F-35 fighter jets that have angered and frustrated many in the flight path. Acoustical testing will help determine the first handful of homes to get sound insulation.
The Voluntary Residential Sound Insulation Program (RSIP) includes 2,627 potentially eligible single, and multi-family homes in South Burlington, Winooski, Colchester, Burlington and Williston. Properties are being prioritized by outdoor noise level, beginning with the loudest homes on the cities Noise Exposure Map, and working outwards. What municipality the homes are in also plays a factor, so each community has equal representation.
23 properties were identified for the pilot project, which kicked-off this week. 20 in South Burlington, and 3 in Winooski. Officials say many of the homes part of the pilot project are in, or on the cusp of the 70+ DNL region of the noise exposure map. DNL is the average, annual sound levels over a 24 hour period. Data from a new sound monitoring device outside the Chamberlin School in South Burlington shows noise events can reach as high as 95 decibels on some days, loud enough to adversely impact human health.
Laddin Walsh, who was selected as part of the pilot project, lives on Kirby Road and says he’s used to the F-35′s interrupting part of his morning.
During our interview, we heard Walsh’s glass dishes shake as the F-35′s left the runway less than a mile away, but the sound didn’t last long. “If you’re indoors, it’s five or six minutes of this. They take off, then they’re gone,” Walsh said.