T.F. Green Airport Improvement Program - FEIS Chapters - PVD

T.F. Green Airport Improvement ProgramEnvironmental Impact Statement and Final Section 4(f) Evaluation5.3.6 Cumulative ImpactsCumulative impacts account for the impacts that result from the incremental impact of the action when added toother past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future actions. Cumulative impacts can result from individuallyminor, but collectively significant actions taking place over a period of time. Potential impacts associated withAlternatives B2 and B4 along with noise impacts from other, non-airport sources of noise have been assessedcumulatively within the Noise Study Area, as a standard part of the noise analysis. Specifically, the noise analysis:• Includes prior actions taken in the Baseline Condition;• Includes any reasonably foreseeable future actions under the No-Action Alternative;• Includes future build conditions (changes in aircraft flight noise levels and noise levels as a result of changeson airport property due to the relocation of the cargo facilities);• Considers any previous, ongoing, and future VLAPs, in accordance with the Part 150 program (excludedfrom any future aircraft noise impacts on noise-sensitive sites);• Considers potential noise levels impacts due to previous (existing) and expected vehicle traffic level changesto local roads without the Improvement Program (refer to Table 5-5 for a list of new and planneddevelopments in the City of Warwick) as well as future changing roadway alignments and traffic levelchanges airport ground cargo facilities, which are included as background conditions in the SurfaceTransportation traffic analysis (vehicle traffic model runs account for the predicted increase in transit usage asa result of InterLink, which opened in late 2010); and• Considers total composite noise exposure (computed at representative noise-sensitive locations) whichsums the noise contributions of aircraft operations (arrivals and departures), aircraft ground operations(aircraft taxiing and queuing and engine run-ups), and traffic noise (off-Airport roadways improvements) toidentify the composite noise exposure at specific locations.Under Alternatives B2 and B4, the DNL values at the composite noise sites indicate that noise from aircraft flightoperations are the most evident noise source in the noise environment. As shown previously under in each of therespective ‘Composite Noise’ sub-section for Alternatives B2 and B4 and analysis year, ground based noise sourcesdo contribute to noise levels, but they are dominated by aviation noise. Of the twenty-five composite noise sitesanalyzed, only one site in 2020 and two sites in 2025 have DNL values where aviation noise was less than 65 dB whilecomposite noise was greater than 65 dB DNL. These findings include:• Site C6 on Grotto Avenue, had modeled vehicular traffic noise levels greater than aviation noise levels,resulting in composite noise levels greater than 65 dB for Alternative B2 in 2020 and 2025.• Site C7 on Evergreen Avenue, had modeled cargo noise levels comparable to aviation noise levels, resultingin composite noise levels greater than 65 dB for No-Action Alternative and Alternative B4 in 2020 and forNo-Action Alternative and Alternative B4 in 2025.• Site P4 on Astral Street, had modeled vehicular traffic noise levels comparable to aviation noise levels,resulting in composite noise levels greater than 65 dB for No-Action Alternative (for B4 vehicular trafficconditions only) and Alternatives B2 and B4 in 2025.Chapter 5 - Environmental Consequences 5-40 July 2011\\mawatr\ev\09228.00\reports\FEIS_Final_July_2011\PVD_CH05_Environmental_Cons_JUL_2011.doc