A plan soars over the Northwest Side, where noise complaints were up this weekend. View Full Caption DNAinfo/Heather Cherone

O'HARE — A study that could result in thousands of sleepless Chicagoans qualifying for free soundproofing to shut out the jet noise caused by planes using east-west runways at O'Hare Airport will be completed by the end of 2016, federal officials said.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel said he had pressed Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Michael Huerta to speed up the study, which Emanuel's spokesman said Friday had "languished for years."

“This is a major step forward that can benefit thousands of residents struggling with jet noise, while also maintaining a driver of Chicago’s economy,” Emanuel said in a statement.

Residents angry that the sound of jets using a new east-west runway at O'Hare make it impossible to sleep, spend time in their backyards, play in neighborhood parks or watch television have blanketed local and federal officials complaints for more than 2½ years.

Heather Cherone says it could take awhile for the study to finish:

The study could lower the average level of noise homeowners would have to experience during the day and night to qualify for free new attic insulation, air conditioning, exterior doors, storm doors and windows that block the racket, officials said.

However, while Emanuel trumpeted his efforts to expedite the study, it will take at least six months longer to complete than federal officials said it would in September.

The study "should have been completed long ago," said Emanuel spokesman Adam Collins.

However, FAA officials said they were working as quickly as possible while making sure the study was based on solid science.

Starting this summer, residents who live near 20 "selected U.S. airports" will be surveyed by phone and by mail about the impact of jet noise on their lives. The FAA will not reveal which airports will be surveyed "to preserve the scientific integrity of the study," according to a statement from the FAA.

“The FAA is sensitive to public concerns about aircraft noise," Huerta said in a statement. "We understand the interest in expediting this research, and we will complete this work as quickly as possible.”

U.S. Rep Mike Quigley, D-Chicago, announced April 27 that federal officials gave the study a green light, approximately a month after Quigley questioned Huerta about the progress of the study at committee hearing on Capitol Hill.

"The current standard the FAA uses to determine acceptable noise levels is outdated and does not accurately reflect the noise pollution that my constituents are experiencing," Quigley said.

However, it could still be nearly a decade before residents of areas that had little to no jet noise before the new runways opened could get relief in the form of new insulation, officials.

Homeowners must be within areas deemed by local aviation officials as experiencing high levels of jet racket — known as a noise contour — can qualify for federally subsidized soundproofing, including new attic insulation, air conditioning, exterior doors, storm doors and windows that block all noise.

If the study lowers the standard of acceptable noise homes already within the noise contour would be first in line to get new soundproofing.

But the O'Hare noise contour map won't be changed to reflect the new flight paths until the approximately $8.7 billion O'Hare Modernization Program is completed in 2020, and many Far Northwest Side homeowners won't be eligible for subsidized soundproofing until 2025.

The flight patterns at O'Hare are designed to ensure the airport operates as efficiently and as safely as possible, according to federal aviation officials.

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