By Andrew Coen
The Federal Aviation Administration is considering four plans to redesign the busy airspace between New York City and Philadelphia in the hope of improving safety, reducing delays and better handling growing air traffic.
Local residents can learn about the proposals and add their comments on them at two public forums, to be held on March 13 at Lawrence Middle School and March 14 at Hofstra University. Both forums will take place from 6:30 to 9 p.m.
The airspace redesign involves a 31,000-square-mile, five-state area, with a population of 29 million residents. The project places heavy focus on air-traffic operations at five major airports, including JFK and LaGuardia in Queens, Newark International Airport and Teterboro Airport in New Jersey, and Philadelphia International Airport.
The proposal that would involve the most change, according to aviation officials, would be the "integrated airspace alternative." If enacted, it would add airspace to enable air-traffic controllers to expedite the flow of traffic between New York City and Philadelphia more efficiently and safely.
Aviation officials say the alternative could be carried out either with existing air-traffic control facilities or by consolidating facilities throughout the project area.
Concerns over the future of Nassau County airspace have been raised at recent meetings of the Town-Village Aircraft Safety and Noise Abatement Committee, an aircraft civic group that holds meetings the last Monday of every month in Lawrence. In addition to the unincorporated sections of the Town of Hempstead, TVASNAC members include the villages of Atlantic Beach, Cedarhurst, Lawrence, Hewlett Harbor, Woodsburgh, Island Park, Valley Stream, Floral Park and New Hyde Park.
At the Feb. 27 TVASNAC meeting, David Siewert, a JFK air-traffic manager, gave a brief presentation on the four airspace redesign plans. Siewert said many of the FAA's changes would affect other area airports, and not JFK. "There isn't a lot of impact in areas adjacent to JFK," said Siewert, who lives in Atlantic Beach.
Siewert said that if the airspace redesign could reduce delays, in addition to making life easier for passengers, it would save millions of dollars. Siewert calculated that reducing each operation at JFK alone by one minute would save the airport $125 million.
Siewert said a proposal to route more planes over the ocean would benefit New Jersey, since it would move all departing flights from Newark Liberty International Airport over the Atlantic Ocean before they turned back over land, reducing noise over the Garden State.
The FAA is also considering new departure headings for LaGuardia, Newark Liberty and Philadelphia airports. FAA officials say the plan would enhance safety by reducing the complexity of the airspace.
The FAA also says that it might change nothing.
The FAA recently released its Draft Environmental Impact Statement on the New York/New Jersey/Philadelphia Metropolitan Area Airspace Redesign Project.
The FAA plans to select a preferred alternative after the public forums conclude on June 1 and after all comments have been closely considered. Kendall Lampkin, the TVASNAC executive director, urged people to get involved. "We don't want the individuals that are doing the scoping to think there is no concern," said Lampkin.
"This is your opportunity for comments," said William Heisman of the Aviation Development Council at the Feb. 27 TVASNAC meeting. "That is the whole purpose of these public meetings."
Anyone who is unable to attend the forums can submit written comments by e-mail to faa.deis@ngc.com.
Comments about this story? acoen@liherald.com or 516-569-4000 ext. 210.
