MASSPORT: About Massport: Pressroom: Archives 2001

News

Public Comment Period On Logan Runway Ends Today; 230 Days of Public Comment on Runway Since 1995

6/8/2001

Today at 5:00 PM, the states environmental public comment period for proposed Runway 14/32 at Logan International Airport will close. This marks the end of a 75-day period during which state environmental regulators received input on the runway report submitted by Massport and the FAA in March. This comment period follows 155 days of public comment on the project since 1995 when the Environmental Notification Form was filed with regulators.

In total, the state has allowed 230 days for public comment on this proposal, exceeding state requirements by 150 days.

The environmental report was filed with MEPA on March 16th, 2001. The filing followed an additional year of public process including a review by a six-member advisory panel mandated by the FAA. The report substantiates the benefits of constructing Runway 14/32. Findings highlight that the proposed airside improvements will:

reduce overall delays by 30 percent;
direct more than 75,000 flights a year over Boston Harbor, away from Boston-area neighborhoods;
allow FAA air traffic controllers the flexibility to vary runway use, reducing the burden of overflights on heavily impacted neighborhoods in East Boston, Winthrop, South Boston and Revere;
improve air quality, as aircraft will spend less time idling on taxiways and circling overhead, reducing total airport emissions by 500-700 tons annually; and diminish nighttime flights by approximately 15 percent.