PHOENIX — Arizona’s two U.S. senators are urging the Federal Aviation Administration to revise a plan to modernize flight paths across the Phoenix area, warning the proposed changes could bring additional aircraft noise to tens of thousands of Valley residents.
Senators Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego sent a letter Thursday to FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford outlining concerns with the agency’s Phoenix Area Modernization Project and its draft environmental assessment.
Their letter comes after Valley residents, especially those who live in historic neighborhoods, flooded the FAA inbox in June with concerns about potential changes.
In 2014, the FAA implemented flight path changes that led to widespread noise complaints and a lengthy legal battle with historic neighborhoods and the City of Phoenix. A federal appeals court ultimately ruled against the FAA, and the agency later worked with the city and affected communities to redesign westbound departure routes.
“Regrettably, rather than learn the lessons from this experience, the FAA’s proposed Phoenix Area Modernization Project fails to address long-standing concerns raised by key regional stakeholders,” the senators wrote.
This time around, the FAA then announced it’d be delaying plans for a year to have enough time to review all of the public comments.
The project would update flight procedures at several Valley airports, but most concerns center on Phoenix Sky Harbor, which handles the region’s largest share of air traffic and commercial flights. The FAA says the changes will increase efficiency and safety.
According to the senators, the proposed flight paths would expose an additional 86,384 people in areas including north Phoenix, Scottsdale and Chandler to reportable increases in aircraft noise. More than 65,000 of those residents could experience increases of at least five decibels.
See more of our previous coverage on this topic in the main video player above.
“While we share the goals of ensuring a safe and efficient airspace in the Phoenix area, we are concerned that the FAA’s proposed flight procedure changes will have significant adverse effects for neighborhoods, communities, and airports across the Phoenix area,” the senators wrote.
You can see a current digital map showing noise levels in the Valley here.
“We urge the FAA to go further and commit to making meaningful changes to the Phoenix Area Modernization Project to address the serious concerns raised by impacted communities,” the senators wrote.
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