Homes Near Chicago's Midway Airport to Receive Soundproofing

Some on Chicago's South Side may be getting quieter homes soon. The city has been soundproofing homes around Midway Airport for years and hopes that some of the residents that previously rejected offers to have their homes insulated for sound would come around to the idea. "Hundreds of homeowners around Midway have refused the offer for free soundproofing, for reasons that range from not wanting government workers to come into their homes to concerns about the quality of the work, according to residents interviewed," Mary Wisniewski reports for the Chicago Tribune.

Residences in the area are often tightly packed near the urban airport. "Homes eligible for soundproofing under FAA rules have to be within a 'noise contour,' where the average daytime and nighttime noise has been measured at 65 decibels, which is between restaurant conversation and a vacuum cleaner," Wisniewski writes.