Airplane Noise Advisory

About

The City of Medford has been directly impacted by increased aircraft noise over City neighborhoods for the last several years. Please refer to the documents below for information about why these changes are occurring and what you can do to voice your concerns to the entities in charge.

Medford has a representative serving on an advisory board, and is the City’s direct liaison to Massport and the FAA. Our Massport and Logan airport advisory contact is Micah-Shalom Kesselman (mkesselm@gmail.com). Micah has compiled the most recent update to the Mayor, which is included below.

Previous reports from the City’s former advisory contacts are below as well. Please contact the Mayor's Office with questions.

What can you do?

Massport is the official agency responsible for handling complaints. They can be filed online at www.massport.com or over the phone at the Massport Noise Complaint Line (617) 561-3333. This line is staffed by the agency’s Noise Abatement Office from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on business days. Calls made during off hours are directed to an automated message line.

Additionally, there is a new application that you can use called AirNoise – the app can be found at Airnoise.io.

We also urge you to contact your Federal Delegation regarding the elevation of the planes and frequency of flights. If your concerns are focused on the time of departures, we encourage you to contact members of our State Delegation.

Letters
Latest Updates

Letters

10/14/22: A letter to the Massachusetts Congressional Delegation Requesting an update on the request for the FAA to disperse flights over Medford. You can read the letter here.
8/16/21: A letter to the Massachusetts Congressional Delegation Requesting that they demand that the FAA disperse flights over Medford. You can read the letter here.
3/23/21: An official comment to the FAA regarding the Neighborhood Environmental Survey. You can read the letter here.
10/21/20: Letter from the Massachusetts Congressional Delegation (Senators Markey and Warren, and Congress Members Clark and Pressley) echoing the letter sent by Massachusetts communities to the FAA, asking for a renewed commitment to the original MOU and study. You can read the Congressional letter here.
10/14/20: Joint Letter to FAA and Massport, with Arlington, Belmont and Malden. The letter was also sent to our respective State Senators and Representatives, and to our US Congress and Senate Representatives. You can read the letter here.

Massport Projects

Runway 15R-33L Safety and Pavement Rehabilitation Project

Runway 15R-33L Safety and Pavement Rehabilitation Project

The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) announced the Runway 15R-33L Safety and Pavement Rehabilitation Project schedule for this summer. In collaboration with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Massport will begin work on Runway 15R-33L in August, with construction planned for approximately 100 days.

Serving as the longest runway at Boston Logan, Runway 15R-33L is primarly used by the FAA during northwest winds, which are typically prevalent in winter and spring months, and is the preferred late-night over Boston Harbor runway for noise abatement purposes. Runway 15R-33L was last rehabilitated in 2012.

Beginning August 14, Runway 15R-33L will be closed to all aircraft arrivals and departures. Consistent with FAA requirements, the project will improve runway safety by enhancing the lighting and the surface conditions. Work will be done in several phases to include the following:

Replacing pavement and improving runway and taxiway intersections;
Upgrading electrical infrastructure;
Converting runway lights to energy efficient LEDs.

In addition to the runway rehabilitation elements, FAA recommended safety improvements will be made to several taxiway intersections to reduce the potential risk of aircraft runway incursions and to enhance airfield safety overall.

This August date was determined based on close coordination with the FAA and airline stakeholders while being mindful of the Sumner Tunnel closure. During the first few weeks of the closure, pavement will be removed and electrical elements will be installed. The majority of the pavement installation will occur in September and October.

Comprehensive mitigation measures will be put in place to reduce construction noise and other impacts to the surrounding communities. Those measures include:

Reducing noise from truck back-up alarms within OSHA guidelines and other regulations;
Maximizing daytime work, particularly noise producing activities;
Establishing airside haul routes that will maximize distance from neighboring homes, particularly at night;
Hauling waste and other materials during the day to the extent possible;
Prohibiting trucks from using City of Boston streets to and from the airport
- All construction traffic will access the airport via Routes 90/93/1A and Coughlin Bypass Rd.
Aiming all lighting used for night operations away from the communities

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