The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is conducting a study to develop new noise maps for locations surrounding area airports.
The study will measure the level of sounds from Bergen County to Union County over the course of a year. The program is known as "Part 150" and makes federal money available for neighborhoods with decibel levels consistently over 65.
These neighborhoods could then be eligible for mitigation measures such as new windows or other sound barriers to block out some of the noise from airplanes flying over the areas.
Newark Liberty International Airport Deputy General Manager Diane Papaianni says that the study could also change flight paths and airline operating procedures.
There are other things that could be done like school soundproofing," she says. "It depends on the noise maps that will be a result of this study."
Residents tell News 12 New Jersey that they think the study is a good idea, and they welcome any type of help the study will bring.
"I think it's great," says Newark resident Winnie-Fred Victom Hinds. "Anything that can help the area, because a lot of people are suffering from it."
Norman Dotti, a sound engineer working with the Port Authority, was out in Elizabeth Thursday testing the noise levels. He says that the decibel levels in the area were up to 82.
He says that an area could be relatively quiet, but that sound "builds up as the aircraft goes by and then build back down again."
The Port Authority is also including LaGuardia, John F. Kennedy International and Teterboro airports in this study. The maps will not be finished until next fall. FAA approval may not come until fall 2018.