Port Authority Tackles Airport Noise

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is planning to start a new program designed to tackle the problem of noise at area airports and the impact of that noise on nearby communities.

The strategy includes the creation of a new noise office and doubling the number of noise monitors.

"Catalyzed by Gov. Cuomo’s focus on this issue for New York’s airports, the Port Authority has taken a big step in addressing noise surrounding all our airports,’’ said Port Authority Executive Director Pat Foye in an emailed press release. “We are committed to working with all communities we operate in to address their concerns, while bringing our airports into the 21^st Century and maintaining the viability of our airports as major economic engines for the metropolitan region.”

Don’t expect the number of flights to be reduced, however. According to the Port Authority, Newark Liberty, LaGuardia and Teterboro airports create $26 billion in wages for the 500,000 jobs they support, and they pour $72 billion into the area’s economy.

One of the hi-tech, innovative ideas is a new website flight tracking system that the public can use. People living near the airports can use the WebTrak system to track flight patterns and noise levels. The system can be found at http://webtrak.bksv.com/panynj.