Release: Addabbo Announces Upcoming Completion of Runway Project at JFK

Howard Beach, NY (September 15, 2015) Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr. is pleased to announce that a lengthy construction project to renovate a frequently used runway at John F. Kennedy International Airport will soon be completed, which should bring much-needed relief to thousands of southern Queens residents after months of excessive airplane noise.

Addabbo learned from the Port Authority this week that the project to reconstruct Runway 4L-22R is expected to come to an end on Monday, September 21. The project, which was conducted by the Port Authority in three stages, added more than 700 feet of runway pavement, widened the runway from 150 to 200 feet, allowed for the construction of high-speed taxiways as well as new taxiway exits and replaced outdated navigation and communication equipment.

During the construction process, which began earlier in the year, homeowners who live in neighborhoods surrounding the airport were forced to endure an often unbearable increase in airplane noise over their homes, as flights were redirected to avoid the construction. With construction coming to an end, much of the airplane noise that has plagued neighborhoods across southern and central Queens is expected to be alleviated.

The end of the project is a much-anticipated milestone for thousands of residents who have lived through the side effects of the project for nearly a year.

“Obviously, maintaining an airport can sometimes require lengthy construction projects that have unfortunate repercussions on the neighboring communities,” said Addabbo. “That is certainly the case with the project to rehabilitate Runway 4L-22R. While I welcome these improvements that will increase the safety of air flight at JFK, I am thrilled to finally see the end to a project that has wreaked havoc on my constituents. The redirecting of flights every couple of minutes every day for several months has pummeled this community with an unsafe and unhealthy amount of airplane noise and pollution, and I look forward to a large portion of that being eased when construction wraps up next week.”

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