Oxford Airport to Get $5 Million

 will receive $5 million to acquire land and homes near the airport, two Connecticut lawmakers announced in a news release Tuesday.

Senators Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., praised the release of over $8 millionn from the Federal Aviation Administration for improvements to Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks and the Waterbury-Oxford Airport, which is located in Oxford.

Bradley International will receive $3.36 million for sound insulation of approximately 100 homes in the Windsor Locks area of Hartford, and the Waterbury-Oxford Airport will receive $5 million for land acquisition of nearby homes impacted by airport noise, the release stated. Approximately 300 residents will benefit from these combined noise mitigation measures, according to the release. The homes affected near the Waterbury-Oxford Airport are in Middlebury.

“Bradley and Waterbury-Oxford are two essential airports in Connecticut,” Lieberman stated in the release. “It’s critical that we continue to invest in these airports, not only to increase safety and efficiency for the travelers who pass through them, but also to improve the quality of life for the many residents who live nearby, which these grants do.”

“These resources are essential to making necessary changes that benefit the people surrounding Bradley and Waterbury-Oxford Airports,” Blumenthal stated in the release. “It is essential that we continue to make the investments necessary that keep our infrastructure up to date – including our airports, roads and bridges – and I will continue to fight for these funds so that we are able to maintain and expand our transportation systems.”

State officials and other have studied the noise complaints at the airport for several years. A noise study completed last year indicates that the residents have reason for complaint because the area is considered a "noise impact area," per federal standards, according to a website formed in partnership with the state Department of Transportation titled www.oxcstudies.com that has information about the noise issues at the airport. The informational wesbite states the noise study indicated the following recommendations could be implemented:

• Voluntary acquisition of homes in the Triangle Hills neighborhood located within the airport's Runway Protection Zone, or RPZ.
• Voluntary acquisition or sound insulation of homes in the Triangle Hills neighborhood that are not within the RPZ.
• Directing more aircraft activity to depart to the south when conditions permit, in order to reduce takeoffs over the populated areas of Middlebury.
• Conduct other operational modifications that may reduce noise levels adjacent to the Airport and result in more consistent flight patterns.
• Recommendations for local zoning and subdivision regulations that would reduce the future potential for airport noise impacts. These land use measures can only be implemented by the Towns.