State Senator Proposes Bill To Reduce Noise Levels Around O'Hare
(CBS) -- A state senator from Chicago is pushing legislation which proponents believe would quiet down some of the noise levels around O'Hare.
"The airplanes are too loud and they're too low. And we're just looking for some relief," says Sandra Rosario, who has lived in the same home in Schiller Park for more than 20 years.
"I'm to the point now where I don't open my windows and doors," says Chris Maderer, who lives on the Northwest Side of Chicago. "There's no such thing as a breeze at my house. It's just the air conditioner going. At night I've had planes that seem so low, it's woken me up."
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They say that since 2013, noise has increased because most of the flights have been switched to the east-west runways away from the diagonal runways which State Senator John Mulroe wants to maintain and he is sponsoring bills to keep them in place.
The city had indicated it would close those runways.
Mulroe's bill would try to make sure they don't close.
"It's basically telling everybody (to) freeze, stand still, don't do anything. We don't want another example of Meigs Field where they go in and destroy a runway, then we can't rebuild it or resurrect it."
Mayor Emanuel had indicated a few weeks ago - right before the election - he might support keeping all runways open.
WBBM has asked the mayor's office what his current position is.
