Aircraft rerouting may increase Five Towns plane noise

JFK runway reconstruction expected to begin Feb. 27 and last through November

Posted Wednesday, February 15, 2017 10:19 am

JFK Airport reconstruction schedule

Phase I — First full continuous closure of Runway 4R-22L begins at 12:01 a.m. on Feb. 27, 2017 and ends at 6 a.m. on June 1, 2017.

Phase II —Nightly closures of Runway 4R-22L starts on June 1, 2017 and ends on Sept. 5, 2017 from 11 p.m. until 7 a.m.

Phase III — Second full continuous closure of Runway 4R-22L starts at 12:01 a.m. on Sept. 5, 2017 and ends at 6 a.m. on Nov. 17, 2017.

Note: All construction schedules could be impacted by the weather.

Source: Port Authority

By Diana Colapietro

Beginning on Feb. 27, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will be intermittently closing John F. Kennedy International Airport’s arrival Runway 4 Right-22 Left for reconstruction until November.

“The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will use various runway configurations and air traffic procedures at the major New York area airports during the six-month construction period to help reduce the effect of closing the runway,” according to a prepared statement from the FAA.

The work on the runway will include “milling and pavement” and “electrical work,” according to the Port Authority. Taxiways H and F are also set to be realigned. “We have no idea how this will be impacting our communities,” Elaine Miller, a Malverne resident who started the activist group PlaneSense for Long Island, said.

The FAA anticipates more traffic on Runway 13 Left and Runway 13 Right at JFK under certain visibility conditions during the repairs. Flight paths at LaGuardia, Teterboro and Newark Liberty International airports will also be impacted as a result of the reconstruction, the FAA stated.

“When they’re repairing a runway, it means that the traffic is either diverted or the other runways are overburdened with more airplane arrivals,” Sid Krimsky, a licensed engineer and West Hempstead resident, said, adding that noise level will likely not change very much.

Reconstruction like this requires an environmental assessment, which was issued for public comment throughout a 15-day review period that ended Feb. 3, according to Port Authority officials. An FAA statement said: “The FAA conducted an environmental review of the procedure in accordance with FAA environmental orders and determined that there would be no significant noise impacts.”

NextGen, FAA’s satellite GPS technology that allows planes to fly more frequently, closer together, take more direct routes and save time and fuel, will be used throughout the reconstruction period to reduce the impact of the repairs on daily operations.

At the Feb. 27 meeting of the Town-Village Aircraft Safety & Noise Abatement Committee, Executive Director Kevin Denning said reconstruction projects and its potential impact will be discussed.

TVASNAC is a group of representatives from the Town of Hempstead, and the villages Atlantic Beach, Cedarhurst, East Williston, Floral Park, Garden City, Hewlett Neck, Lawrence, Malverne, New Hyde Park, Stewart Manor, Valley Stream and Woodsburgh that challenges the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the Federal Aviation Administration to mitigate aircraft noise and address the environmental concerns of residents and business owners near to Kennedy and LaGuardia airports.

The Monday meeting takes place at Nathan L. Bennett Pavilion in Town Hall at 1 Washington Street in Hempstead at 7:30 p.m.

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