December 2, 2008

New North Runway 9Left/27 Right

• The new Northern Runway 9 Left/27 Right is aligned east-west and will be used mainly for arrivals.
• The Runway is 7,500 feet long and 150 feet wide.
• The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) projects the runway and the extension of a southern runway completed in September will reduce flight delays from 16.2 minutes on average to 15.5 minutes.
• The Runway will be a Group 5 Category II/III Runway designed for planes as large as the 747.
• The Runway is intended mainly to be used for narrow body small to medium sized aircraft.  These include the Airbus A318, A319, A320, the MD-80, the DC-9 and the Boeing 727, 737, and 757. 
• The Northern Control Tower will be operational from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.  Residents should not experience late night flight traffic.
• The 65 DNL (Day/Night) noise contour for the new runway, which is just south of Touhy Avenue at O'Hare's north end, will extend from the edge of the airport east past the Tri-State Tollway to Dee Road.
• A long-term portable monitor is currently deployed in the area of the arrival path of the northern Runway to pick up all air traffic events.  The decibels levels for each flight are being recorded.  In the near future, this monitor will be replaced with a permanent one on City of Park Ridge property, again on the flight path.   There are three additional permanent monitors in Park Ridge.
• Over $38.5 million has been expended on the School Sound Insulation Program on Park Ridge schools.  Maine South High School was already sound-insulated several years ago, at a cost of over $3.5 million.  The one pending school in the area of the new Northern Runway that still is awaiting funding is Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School. 
  
  

Additional Links:
Northern Runway FAQs

FAA Replies to Park Ridge Questions:
Download the letter in PDF format

Presentation - December 18, 2008 Park Ridge Town Hall
Click here to download Power Point presentation in PDF format (146 MB)

Paper - Property Values in O'Hare Area Communities
Download PDF file here

Federal Aviation Administration - O'Hare Modernization Plan
Monthly Nighttime Noise Reports:
http://www.faa.gov/airports/airport_development/omp/FAQ/ONCC/index.cfm

Chicago Airport System O'Hare Community Noise Resource Center
http://www.flychicago.com/environment/

Airport Noise Monitoring System Reports
http://www.ohare.com/cnrc/ohare/o_noise_monitor.shtm

O'Hare Modernization Program
www.oharemodernization.org

"Sound Insulating Your Home” Handbook
 www.oharenoise.org/publications.htm

O'Hare Noise Abatement Hotline: 1-800-435-9569