May 14--Two state lawmakers are wading into the controversy over noise complaints from people residing near O'Hare International Airport.
State reps. Dennis Reboletti, R-Elmhurst, and Michael McAuliffe, D-Chicago, will call today for a study to plot jet noise patterns and compare the data to the noise contour projections the City of Chicago issued as part of the environmental impact process for the O'Hare modernization plan, according to spokeswoman Meredith VanKampen.
Both men represent districts near the airport.
Residents with homes close to O'Hare have flooded a noise complaint hotline since new flight patterns began last fall with the opening of another airstrip. Under the changes, most planes now take off toward the west, and the majority of arrivals approach O'Hare from the east.
And last month two Northwest Side aldermen, Mary O'Connor, 41st, and Margaret Laurino, 39th, placed an advisory referendum on the November ballot asking voters whether the federal government should expand the footprint of homes eligible for taxpayer-funded soundproofing.
City aviation officials pointed out Chicago has insulated more than 10,000 residences and about 120 schools around O'Hare since 1996.
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