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Week of Oct. 22, 2007
KCIA begins effort to reduce air traffic noise in surrounding homes
Airport staff inspects a nearby home. | King County International Airport (KCIA) is launching the newest phase of an effort to be a good neighbor. It’s reaching out to residents around the airport and helping them keep their homes quieter.KCIA has surveyed and sample noise tested more than 200 homes in the nosiest areas surrounding the airport. Based on the results of those tests, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has determined that all of them qualify for Phase-1 sound insulation retrofitting. It’s all part of the airport’s Sound Insulation Program. “In the wake of this FAA action, we look forward to working with members of the Georgetown, Beacon Hill, and Tukwila communities to implement the program,” Sound Insulation Program Manager Penny Wade said, “One of the key goals of the program is to noticeably improve the ‘quality of life’ for our airport neighbors.” It’s a given that living near any airport means putting up with extra noise, but despite that reality, KCIA has been working on numerous measures to reduce the noise impact. In 1998, the King County Council called for the creation of KCIA’s Noise Office. In the years that followed, KCIA completed a Land Use Compatibility Study, which included numerous recommendations, one of which was the implementation of the Sound Insulation Program. This study also identified a noise mitigation boundary and decibel level noise contours within each of the surrounding airport communities. To be eligible for sound insulation improvements, resident’s homes need to be located within the boundary and meet pre-established interior noise thresholds. In order to determine whether or not each residence qualifies, sample noise testing is also being completed on all homes within the boundary. Since 2005, the FAA has approved three grants for KCIA totaling around $5.6 million to help fund the program. That money will go toward retrofitting the first 210 homes. KCIA has already begun a 10-home pilot program, which will provide more data on how best to proceed with the subsequent retrofits. The 10-home pilot program began in August. It’s currently in the design and engineering phase and construction will begin as soon as bids are complete. The bid process for the first 200 homes is also underway.
Rideshare campaign nets big numbers A summer promotion to net new vanpoolers and carpoolers resulted in some great results. Between Aug. 6 and Sept. 12, more than 6,900 people signed up or updated their applications on RideshareOnline. All were looking to ease their travel hassles by sharing a ride to work or other destinations. This included people who responded to Metro’s offer to discount Vanpool travel during August’s big construction project on Interstate 5. Overall, the 2007 summer Rideshare campaign was a 45 percent increase over the 2006 promotional numbers, with 72 employers in King County participating. The Employee Transportation Coordinators at these sites promoted RideshareOnline.com by sending emails, distributing flyers, and putting up posters for their employees. |
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Homecoming for Huskies The University of Washington football team hosts Arizona this Saturday in a homecoming game that kicks off at noon. Riding the bus to Husky Stadium is a convenient and free alternative to dealing with the hassles of driving and parking. The Huskies will be offering free Metro service to the stadium. In addition to regular bus service to and from Montlake campus, there is also special shuttle service between the stadium and eight park-and-ride lots: Shoreline; Northgate Transit Center; Houghton; Kingsgate; South Kirkland; Eastgate; South Renton; and Federal Way. Just show your game ticket or ticket stub for a free ride on regular bus service or the special shuttles. Check out Metro Online for all the details. | Subscribe to DOT DashSign-up to receive an e-mail text version of "Transportation Today," along with other significant DOT news by sending an e-mail to us with subscribe King County DOT Dash in the subject line.
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