Fairfax Co. leaders briefed on ‘no-brainer’ solutions to plane noise complaints south of Reagan Airport
Fairfax County, Virginia, leaders on Tuesday were briefed on the possible recommendations from a study into ways to ease plane noise in neighborhoods south of Reagan National Airport.
Airport management firm Vianair explored possibilities to offer noise relief to residents in Alexandria and parts of Fairfax and Prince George’s counties. The ideas, which offer different approaches based on air traffic flow, focus on ways to have air traffic travel along the center of the Potomac River, and over less-populated neighborhoods and highways.
For years, residents in Fairfax County have expressed frustration with the consistent noise. It became particularly problematic, they said, after the Federal Aviation Administration adopted the Next Generation Air Traffic Control System, causing a shift from dispersed flight paths to precise ones.
Vianair previously explored ways to address noise complaints in areas north of the airport, and last year, a new flight path launched with the intention of reducing noise in Montgomery County. That change had been expected to bring relief to Georgetown, Palisades and Foxhall in D.C., and to Brookmont and Glen Echo in Montgomery County.
“If you’re outside having a conversation with your neighbor, you can’t talk because it’s so loud,” said Mike Rioux, a Mount Vernon resident and member of a committee looking into possible fixes. He said noise is most severe between 5:30 a.m. and 8 a.m.
The findings propose different ideas based on the direction planes are taking off or landing in. In one proposal for southbound departures, westbound planes leaving Runway 19 would be moved closer to the center of the Potomac. It would similarly call for a flight path where turns are moved southwest over creek beds or a military base, according to county documents.
“That’ll have a substantial impact on those communities,” Rioux said, adding it would reduce flight tracks over some neighborhoods by 43%.
The consulting firm’s proposal references planes flying over the Potomac River as much as possible. If they can’t, they should use nonresidential areas, the report said.
“You hear it inside your house,” Mount Vernon resident Bob Meier said about the noise. “Nobody has sound insulation good enough to knock that noise down.”
The ideas will provide different degrees of relief, depending on location of someone’s home, Meier said.
In Alexandria, Rioux said the noise problem won’t be completely alleviated, because of proximity to the airport’s runways. Some relief, though, is attainable for Fort Washington in Prince George’s County and parts of Fairfax County, he said.
Once the community noise working group approves a proposed plan, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority would send it to the FAA. The FAA then considers approval in a process that could take up to four years.
WTOP has contacted the FAA for comment on the proposal.
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay said the changes seem “like no-brainers, and could dramatically improve quality of life for tens of thousands of Fairfax County residents.”
Asked about the possible impact of January’s deadly plane crash on the proposals, Jim Allerdice with Vianair said “we didn’t touch that,” referencing the arrival pattern in place when the crash occurred.