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The FAA SMS panel has determined that the O'Hare's north airfield may be used during overnight hours post OMP-buildout.
FAA Regional Administrator Rebecca MacPherson addressed the Fly Quiet Committee at their meeting on January 28, 2020 to report on the FAA's SMS decision that runways 9R/27L, 9C/27C and 4L/22R will be available for use without any need for special mitigation. The level of risk has been identified as “moderate,” which is acceptable to the FAA, indicating they are confident of their ability to handle traffic safely. Those runways will be available not only for arrivals and departures upon commissioning but also for a potential rotation system or other program that the ONCC develops as part of a Fly Quiet 21 plan. She explained that there are varying levels of SMS reviews, ranging from one week to several months, depending on the complexity of the situation.
The FAA announced in July that it would be necessary to evaluate the use of the runways on the north airfield before they could commit to them being available as part of a future Fly Quiet program. Administrator MacPherson reiterated that safety is the FAA’s number one concern.
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The ONCC Fly Quiet Committee met on January 28, 2020.
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On January 29, the ONCC Residential Committee moved to approve the resolution authorizing Phase 19 of the Residential Sound Insulation Program. The resolution will be presented to the ONCC membership on February 14, 2020 for full approval. Phase 19 includes areas of Bensenville, City of Chicago Wards 38 and 41, Des Plaines, Norridge, Park Ridge, Rosemont, Schiller Park, Wood Dale as well as unincorporated areas of Cook and DuPage Counties.
Phase 19 contains 1,004 homes and will be the final phase of the RSIP for the O’Hare Modernization Program (OMP) noise contour. Any eligible homes that did not previously receive sound insulation are able to participate in the final phase. This phase must be completed by the final OMP buildout in 2021.
Although the RSIP was delayed by issues with odorous windows, the program is now back on track with revised specifications, with the final package of homes for Phase 17 (Norwood Park historic homes) slated to begin in 2020 and preparations underway for Phase 18 which contains 530 homes.
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ONCC Chair Arlene Juracek was invited to participate on an advisory panel for a RAND Corporation study on Airport Infrastructure and Financing.
The study looked at:
- Can current airport infrastructure meet the demand for passenger air travel, now and in the future?
- What financial tools and resources are available for airports?
- How much debt is held by airports, and what effect does that debt have on future construction and capacity needs?
- How are passengers and ticket prices affected by capacity constraints at airports?
- How can airports fund the infrastructure development they need while minimizing the effect on passengers and ticket prices?
Changes in federal policies could help ensure U.S. commercial airports are able to draw on sufficient and stable sources of revenue to maintain existing capacity, accommodate growth and support a safe, sustainable national airspace system in the coming decades, according to a congressionally mandated study conducted by the RAND Corporation.
Source: The RAND Corporation
