Anchorage airport noise study weighs which measures to recommend; public comment Aug. 25

Anchorage residents living under the flight paths at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport can comment on the airport's noise study in person on Tuesday, Aug. 25.

The timing matters. The study has moved past measuring noise and into choosing what to recommend, a phase the project timeline runs through the summer and fall of this year. The list of measures under required review, presented to the advisory committee in February, includes changes to departure climb profiles and flight procedures, a preferential runway use system, noise barriers, sound insulation, buying land or interests in it, zoning and easements, and a runway extension. It also includes curfews, landing fees based on noise and a ban on all jet aircraft, though the study notes those are limited by a federal rule restricting an airport's ability to regulate access on the basis of noise, and that some alternatives may not be feasible.

The study has also committed to a test that decides who benefits. Among the questions it applies to each option are whether the action shifts noise without meaningful overall noise reduction, and "Does the action result in newly affected populations?" Its stated policy is that "The alternatives will improve the overall noise environment, not shift noise from one area to another." That is the reason a quiet street has as much at stake in this process as a loud one.

The Study Advisory Committee for the Part 150 Airport Noise Compatibility Study meets from 10 a.m. to noon in the Spurr Conference Room of the North Terminal, at 4600 Postmark Drive. The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities said in its public notice that anyone is welcome to attend, and that comments or questions can be submitted during the meeting in person or online through the project website, ANC150NoiseStudy.com.

The study is meant to identify and evaluate current and future noise effects from aircraft operations at the airport. "The goal of the study is to reduce the number of people affected by aircraft noise," the notice said. A Part 150 study is the federal process airports use to map noise exposure around a field and recommend measures to reduce it. The airport's project materials say the work updates noise exposure maps using current and forecast conditions, began in mid-2025, and is expected to finish in late 2027. Nothing takes effect on the study's say-so: the Federal Aviation Administration approves or disapproves each measure individually.

The committee itself is weighted toward aviation. Its March roster lists 12 seats for the Anchorage aviation community, among them Alaska Airlines, Atlas Air, Everts Air, Northern Air Cargo, UPS, Signature Aviation and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, against six community seats: the Sand Lake, Spenard and Turnagain community councils and three members of the public representing north Anchorage, south Anchorage and Big Lake. Four seats go to federal and state agencies, including the FAA, and two to the Municipality of Anchorage. The study team is not adding members, and says on the project website that it "carefully reviewed the SAC composition to ensure that no single issue, interest group, or geography is disproportionately represented."

The department offers a Telephone Device for the Deaf line at 907-269-0473 and, upon request, Alaska Native language translation; requests should be made at least five days before the accommodation is needed. Lex Yelverton, the airport's planning manager, is listed as the contact for the study.