[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 135 (Wednesday, July 15, 1998)] [Notices] [Pages 38224-38225] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 98-18859] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Aviation Administration Notice to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and Conduct Scoping for a Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) Facility and Associated Air Traffic Control (ATC) Procedural Changes in and Near the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration, DOT. ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and conduct Scoping meetings. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Federal Aviation Administration is issuing this notice to advise the public that an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will be prepared and considered for the consolidation and construction of a new Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) facility in the Baltimore/ Washington area. There are four stand-alone TRACONs within the study area located at Baltimore--Washington International Airport, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, and Washington Dulles International Airport; and the FAA operated TRACON located at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland. The Federal Aviation Administration intends to prepare a tiered Environmental Impact Statement. The first tier will address the physical [[Page 38225]] consolidation of the four TRACONs as well as building siting and construction. All reasonable building alternatives, including a no build option, will be considered. This first tier will also evaluate, at a programmatic level, potential airspace changes that could result from a decision to consolidate; however, it will not address specific changes to aircraft routes. A subsequent tier, or tiers, will be prepared and considered at a later date to assess the potential impacts resulting from air traffic control procedural changes associated with the proposed consolidation of these facilities as these issues become ripe for decision. All reasonable alternatives will be considered including the no-change option. The airspace tier (2nd tier) will evaluate alternatives to air traffic control routes and procedures beyond the immediate airport area. Changes to existing take-off and/or landing noise abatement procedures are not being considered. In order to ensure that all significant issues pertaining to the proposed action are identified, public scoping meetings will be held. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Joseph Champley, Project Support Specialist, Federal Aviation Administration, Suite 400, 8201 Corporate Drive, Landover, Maryland 20785 (800) 762-9531. Email: [email protected]. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A TRACON facility provides radar air traffic control services to aircraft operating on Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) and Visual Flight Rules (VFR) procedures beyond 5 miles and generally within 50 miles of the host airport at altitudes from the surface to approximately 17,000 feet. These distances and altitudes may vary depending on local conditions and infrastructural constraints such as adequate radar and radio frequency coverage. The primary function of the TRACON is to provide a variety of air traffic control services to arrival, departure, and transient aircraft within its assigned airspace. These services include aircraft separation, in flight traffic advisories and navigational assistance. The four existing TRACON facilities provide terminal radar air traffic control services to the four major airports and a number of small reliever airports located within the study area. Current technologies exist that allow for the siting of TRACON facilities away from an airport environment. This capability also allows for the consolidation of facilities when it makes economic and environmental sense. Three of the four facilities that are the subject of this study are at or approaching their designed life-cycle and are not able to accommodate expected increases in air traffic demand or planned equipment modernization. The FAA recently performed a cost to benefit analysis and found that the consolidation of these four TRACONs was economically advantageous to the government and users of their services. In addition to the proposed infrastructural improvements, the FAA will conduct an in depth analysis of the air traffic control operational environment. The purpose is to determine what, if any, new ATC procedures can be implemented that will take advantage of facility consolidation, improved aircraft performance, and new and emerging ATC technologies. These items will be addressed in the second tier of the EIS. The project study area is generally within a 75 miles radius of the Georgetown Non-Directional Radio Beacon, a radio navigational aid located new the Chain Bridge. Public Scoping Meetings: To facilitate the receipt of comments on the first tier, five public scoping meetings will be held. The meetings will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 10 p.m. at the following locations: August 3, 1998 at Hillcrest Elementary School, 1500 Frederick Road, Baltimore (Catonsville), MD 21228 (At the intersection of S. Rolling Road (I-195 away from BWI) and Frederick Road) August 4, 1998 at the Holiday Inn Capitol, 550 C St SW, Washington, DC 20024 (Between National Air and Space Museum and Dept. of Transportation (intersection of C and 5th or 6th Street) near L'Enfant Plaza Metro Station) August 6, 1998 at Chantilly High School, 4201 Stringfellow Road, Chantilly, VA 22033 (Off Stringfellow Road, Between Route 50 and Route 29) August 10, 1998 at the Westpark (Holiday Inn) Hotel, 1900 North Fort Myer Drive, Arlington, VA 22209 (Adjacent to Key Bridge in Arlington) August 12, 1998 at the Colony South, 7401 Surratts Road, Clinton, MD 20748 (Near Andrews AFB, off Route 5 in Clinton, MD) A separate meeting will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. for Federal, State, and local agency staff in accordance with NEPA coordination requirements: August 5, 1998 at the Holiday Inn Capitol, 550 C St SW, Washington, DC 20024 (Between National Air and Space Museum and Dept. of Transportation (intersection of C and 5th or 6th Street) near L'Enfant Plaza Metro Station) The scoping period for this project formally begins with this announcement. Scoping will conclude forty-five days after the date of this announcement. To ensure that the full range of issues related to this proposed project are addressed and all significant issues identified, comments and suggestions on the scope are invited from Federal, State, and local agencies, and other interested parties. Comments and suggestions may be sent to: FAA Potomac TRACON Project, c/o Mr. Fred Bankert, PRC Inc., 12005 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, VA 20191-3423. EMAIL: [email protected] Dated: July 9, 1998. Walter Kwiatek, Acting Potomac Program Director. [FR Doc. 98-18859 Filed 7-14-98; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910-13-M