Announcements

Draft Part 150 Document available for review

About The Study

The Part 150 Study process is designed to identify noise incompatibilities surrounding an airport, and to recommend measures to both correct existing incompatibilities and to prevent future incompatibilities

Contact Information

Jordan D. Feld, AICP
Director of Planning
Tucson Airport Authority
7005 S. Plumer Ave.
Tucson, AZ 85756

Welcome to Tucson International Airport
Part 150 Study

The Tucson Airport Authority (TAA) is working with Landrum & Brown to update its Part 150 Noise Compatibility Study, last completed in 1991.
Since the last plan, TAA has relocated the main runway of Tucson International Airport (TUS) one half mile to the southeast to mitigate the effects of noise on airport neighbors to the northwest. At the same time TAA embarked on a federally funded Sound Insulation Program that is nearing completion and will result in sound remediation improvements to nearly 1,400 homes.

About the Study

The Part 150 Study process is designed to identify noise incompatibilities surrounding an airport, and to recommend measures to both correct existing incompatibilities and to prevent future incompatibilities. For Part 150 Study purposes, noise incompatibilities are generally defined as residences or public use noise-sensitive facilities (libraries, churches, schools, nursing homes, and hospitals) within the 65 Day-Night Average Sound Level (DNL) noise contour.

The purpose for conducting the Part 150 Study is to develop a balanced and cost-effective plan for reducing current noise impacts from the airport's operations, where practical, and to limit additional impacts in the future. The decision to undertake noise compatibility planning is entirely voluntary on the part of the airport operator.

Among the general goals and objectives addressed by a Part 150 Study are the following:

• To reduce, where feasible, existing and forecasted noise levels over existing noise-sensitive land uses;
• To reduce new noise-sensitive developments near the airport;
• To mitigate, where feasible, adverse impacts in accordance with Federal guidelines;
• To provide mitigation measures that are sensitive to the needs of the community and its stability;
• To minimize the impact of mitigation measures on local tax bases; and
• To be consistent, where feasible, with local land use planning and development policies.

This study will identify existing and future flight corridors, develop aircraft noise exposure maps for current and future conditions, evaluate air traffic control procedures that could be implemented to reduce noise exposure over residential areas, consider land use controls that could be established to reduce future incompatible land uses from being developed within high noise areas, and evaluate means to mitigate noise impacts within high noise exposure areas.