(The Center Square) – The Port of Seattle Commission has authorized the next phase of a $133 million multi-year sound insulation program to wind down in 2026.
The Sound Insulation Program had its genesis in 1985 and to date has provided high quality sound deadening insulation to more than 9,400 single-family homes and five condominium complexes in the vicinity of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, according to a Port of Seattle Commission news release.
“The current focus of the program is apartments, places of worship, completion of current condominium projects, remaining interested single-family homes, and buildings and residential units in construction or design phases,” the news release reads.
“The Port of Seattle has a long-term commitment to the communities surrounding [Seattle-Tacoma International] Airport, and this authorization will keep us on an accelerated track to provide noise mitigation to residents within our noise remedy boundary,” said Port of Seattle Commissioner Hamdi Mohamed. “We are committed to continued community outreach to those eligible for sound insulation to ensure we meet our stated goal of completion by 2026.”
“The program is for both new builds and current homes that are deemed eligible within the Noise Remedy Boundary,” said Chris Guizlo, aviation communication and marketing program manager for the Port of Seattle, in an email to The Center square.
Structures must be located within the current airport sound insulation boundary area, as well as meet a host of other requirements including an acoustic test inside the structure.
To date the Port has received grants for the following projects already in progress:
Single-Family Home Sound Insulation projects – $5.2 millionDes Moines Elementary School – $3.1 millionHighline High School – $11.7 millionCondominium Sound Insulation – $4.1 millionApartment Sound Insulation – $21.3 millionPlaces of Worship – $5 million
Funding for the program is usually derived from “approximately 20 percent of [Seattle-Tacoma International] Airport revenues and 80 percent FAA Airport Improvement Project grant funds,” according to the informational page on the ports website.
This means homeowners and eligible entities within the boundary area can partake without an additional tax burden.
“What was approved yesterday was specific to apartments, so it is funded with FAA grants and airport revenues,” Guizlo confirmed, after urging interested parties to get in touch with the Port of Seattle’s Noise Program Team to check if their home is eligible.
The port will continue to apply for Federal Airport Improvement grants for the duration of this project.
More information is available to interested parties on the Port of Seattle’s website.
