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SENATE DOCKET, NO. 740 FILED ON: 1/18/2023
SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2302
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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PRESENTED BY:
Walter F. Timilty
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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act directing the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority to install sound barriers in
Quincy and Braintree.
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PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :Walter F. TimiltyNorfolk, Plymouth and BristolJohn F. KeenanNorfolk and Plymouth 1 of 2
SENATE DOCKET, NO. 740 FILED ON: 1/18/2023
SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2302
By Mr. Timilty, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 2302) of Walter F. Timilty and John
F. Keenan for legislation to direct the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority to install
sound barriers in Quincy and Braintree. Transportation.
[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE SENATE, NO. 2343 OF 2021-2022.]
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)
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An Act directing the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority to install sound barriers in
Quincy and Braintree.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:
1 Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the Massachusetts Bay
2Transportation Authority is hereby directed to conduct a comprehensive sound study along the
3Red Line extension to Braintree, so-called, from the Neponset River Bridge to the Braintree Red
4Line Train Station, to determine the ambient noise level, using the background A-weighted
5sound pressure levels that is exceeded ninety percent of the time measured during equipment
6operating hours over a minimum of a twenty-four period, less the noise generated by the existing
7MBTA trains. Said study shall be conducted by an acoustical engineer employed by or on behalf
8of the MBTA. In those residential areas where the decibel level generated by the Red Line trains
9exceeds the ambient level by ten or more decibels, the MBTA is hereby ordered and directed to
10install sound barriers in order to mitigate said noise pollution problems. 2 of 2
11 Said barriers shall be of a design approved by an acoustical engineer hired by or
12employed by the Transit Authority. Said design shall then be approved by said Authority and
13local Board(s) of Health(s) Departments after a public hearing process.