Massachusetts

Medford Residents Tired of Logan Airport Noise

Residents in Medford, Massachusetts, say they are tired of the noise caused by airlines taking off and landing at nearby Logan Airport.

"The noise is comparable to an alarm clock," said Medford resident John Elliott. "And you know what those do. They get into this rhythm of every few minutes."

City leaders blame the relentless noise on the expansion of flights at Logan, and navigation systems put into place that concentrate planes over narrow corridors in the sky. One of those routes is right over Medford.

"And then they’re taking off 2 in the morning, 4 in the morning, 5 in the morning," said Medford Mayor Stephanie Burke. "All those things together has just made it to a point, it’s a breaking point in the city."

In a statement, Massport said, "Noise is a regional issue and a regional dialogue is necessary. Massport is working with the Massport Community Advisory Committee, a group of 35 communities including Medford, on a study in conjunction with the FAA and conducted by MIT to address concerns about airplane noise."

Medford isn’t the only community seeing this problem. Several other towns are dealing with the issue, including Belmont and Arlington.

"When we’re trying to get practices started and trying to delegate what we’re doing, it’s a lot harder to communicate with the kids just trying to get your voice heard over the sound of the airplanes going by. It’s incredibly difficult," said Chris Dellorusso, a local high school rowing coach.

Burke hopes the MIT study will provide some possible solutions.

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