Potomac Consolidated TRACON Airspace EIS

The Potomac Consolidated (PCT) Airspace Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) assessed impacts from the consolidation of four Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) facilities in the Baltimore/Washington region into a single TRACON, handling the nation’s fourth busiest airspace. The study area included Andrews Air Force Base, Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall, Ronald Reagan Washington National, and Washington Dulles International Airports, as well as over 30 other non-primary airports in a region of over 17,000 square miles. Combining ARTS radar data from multiple antennas to establish baseline conditions and modeling new routes for system alternatives, HMMH examined changes in aircraft noise at distances of up to 75 nautical miles from the center of the study area, and at altitudes up to 18,000 feet. HMMH’s analysis consisted of an extensive noise measurement program and comprehensive noise modeling using the FAA’s Noise Integrated Routing System (NIRS). The FAA released the Final EIS in December 1999 and issued the Record of Decision in May 2003.