Lincoln Journal
Wednesday, November 24, 2004

Runway safety, increased noise at Hanscom Field

By Barbara Forster

The Runway Safety Area project at Massport is almost ready to take off.

Tom Ennis of Massport told the Hanscom Field Advisory Commission on
Nov. 16 that the agency gave the go-ahead to consultants McFarland Johnson.

The project involves improving safety areas at the ends of Runway 5-23
that do not fully meet Federal Aviation Administration rules that require
the areas measure 500 feet on each side.

According to Ennis, the FAA agreed that, except for slight regrading
to provide drainage away from the runway, the area at the end of Runway 5
remains the same size. Work on the other end, which involves wetlands, will
"very likely" require wetlands replication on Massport property.

"We will have to go through the regulatory process to do that," said
Ennis.

Creating new wetlands is only part of the requirement. Massport must
demonstrate a "measure of success" for the new site.

The project triggers another regulatory threshold because the work
involves more than 5,000 acres.

The permitting process includes the Bedford Conservation Commission and
the Department of Environmental Protection.

Ennis projects that 2006 is the earliest that construction could begin.
Work on the project, which is all on Massport property, started in 1999.

--Less pavement: Maybe

Ennis also reported that another 2.5 acres of pavement will disappear.
The agency plans to reseed land along an old runway that is now a taxi-way
for planes. "A taxi-way doesn't need as much width as a runway," he said.

Last year, almost two acres were reclaimed. "We have another area with
four acres, but we're not sure when that will be done," added Ennis.

The reclamation is part of Massport's ongoing efforts to maintain a
constant amount of impervious area at the field.

However, Margaret Coppe of Lexington pointed out that because Jet
Aviation plans to pave over two acres, the net result is only two additional
acres.

--What's flying at Hanscom?

Fewer planes were in the skies over Hanscom last month but noise levels
were up. Although the total number of operations between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m.
decreased by seven percent compared to last year, the average noise level
increased.

While fewer single-engine and twin-engine piston planes were in the
air, civilian jet activity increased 8 percent. According to Massport's
monthly "Noise Report," the jets were responsible for the additional noise
"particularly because the increase was in Stage 2 aircraft," which are
noisier planes. Turboprop and helicopter activity went up, too.

The number of flights between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. rose from 162 last
October to 197 last month. Complaints about noise increased from 501 to 593.

Military aircraft operations were down from 148 in October 2003 to 131
this year.

Massport is starting the process for another state-required
environmental study at Hanscom. The reviews, which take place every five
years, are designed to present an overview of current environmental
conditions at the field and use the information to determine future policies
and conditions.

"This is a 2005 document," said Ennis. "We'd like to file as early as
possible in 2006."

The state approved the 2000 study last year.

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