Jun 8, 2007
Westchester County Airport
Feds say noise increases minor for Greenwich residents
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A proposed rerouting of airplanes at two local airports will not lead to major noise increases for Greenwich residents, a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) official said last Thursday night.
Speaking at a meeting of the Round Hill Association, Steve Kelley, program manager for the FAA’s airspace redesign project, said any noise impacts would be below what the federal government considers significant.
As part of the “Integrated Airspace Alternative” plan, which the FAA endorsed in March, flights arriving at New York City’s LaGuardia Airport would shift about 30 miles to the east, pushing traffic into the heart of Fairfield County.
In addition, planes leaving Westchester County Airport, which borders Greenwich, would make a circular turn after takeoff and make much of their initial climb over Greenwich.
With respect to the latter — the main concern for many Round Hill-area homeowners — Mr. Kelley said planes would make an “unrestricted climb” and reach altitudes of 9,000 to 10,000 feet while flying over town.
At those altitudes, he said, most people will not notice the change.
“There is nothing, from a federal standpoint, that is reportable in Connecticut,” Mr. Kelley said, explaining that the government is only required to implement noise mitigation measures when the Day-Night Average Sound Level (DNL) — a noise measure used in the aviation industry — exceeds 45.
FAA noise maps show DNL values of around 40 for areas of backcountry Greenwich — both under the proposed redesign and in 2011 projections based on existing flight patterns.
The possible reroutings at LaGuardia and Westchester County, he said, are part of a larger effort to make airspace in the Northeast more efficient.
He said the region is the most complex in the country because of the close proximity of so many airports.
Before the presentation, U.S. Rep. Chris Shays criticized the FAA, saying the agency had done a poor job communicating initially with the public. Even so, Mr. Shays said he believes Greenwich will come out of the redesign relatively unscathed, at least compared to neighboring towns.
During a question-and-answer session, Mr. Kelley said any changes are at least two to three years away. He said the FAA is expected to issue its final decision in late August, after it finishes reviewing comments submitted by the public.
Toward the end of the meeting, Mr. Shays asked Mr. Kelley about a recently announced Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigation on the FAA’s redesign procedures.
Mr. Kelley said he welcomed the GAO investigation, adding that measures like the DNL are problematic, since they’re difficult to explain to the public.
First Selectman James Lash also took issue with how the FAA discloses information. After the meeting, he told the Post that a noise consultant hired in May submitted a report that objected to, among other things, the FAA’s “lack of clarity.”
In particular, Mr. Lash said, the noise consultant, who was hired as part of a partnership with the Town of New Canaan, didn’t have access to information on the specific nature of the climb planes would be making after departing Westchester County Airport.
Mr. Lash said that if pilots follow the guidelines outlined by Mr. Kelley, the estimated altitudes of 9,000 to 10,000 feet are probably correct.
“If they follow the procedure, he’s right,” Mr. Lash said.
Mr. Kelley said the redesign project could cost between $200 million and $300 million, and Mr. Shays reminded the audience that it’s ultimately up to Congress.
“That’s the hook that we have,” Mr. Shays said.
© Copyright 2008 by Hersam Acorn Newspapers
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