Some Airports Have Spent Many Years Building Runways and Have Faced a Variety of Challenges

The amount of time that airports spend planning and building their  runways can vary because of a number of factors. Figure 3 shows that the median time spent on completed runway projects  was about 10 years, while the median time airports estimated they would  spend on runway projects not yet completed was about 14 years. According to FAA, there can be a considerable lag from the inception of the  runway process until the runway is completed and in operation. Some of the specific  challenges identified by airports and other stakeholders we visited include  the following: Reaching stakeholder agreement. Mitigating the impact of noise and other issues. Design and construction of the runway. A Number of Initiatives Are Underway to Address Challenges Related to Building Runways

While there may be no single solution to all the challenges associated with  planning and building runways, the federal government and airports have  undertaken a number of initiatives to address the challenges related to  such issues as duplicative environmental requirements, stakeholder  differences, and noise mitigation. FAA Initiatives Focus on Streamlining the Planning and Environmental Review Processes

FAA has identified and undertaken several initiatives directed at  streamlining the planning and environmental review processes and  improving cooperation, communication, and coordination among major  stakeholders. While the Executive Order and the proposed legislation were designed to  address challenges some of the airports experienced, it is too early to  assess their impact; the Executive Order was only recently signed, and the  legislation did not pass in the 107th session of Congress. However, they did express some  concerns related to our analysis of the amount of time airports spent or  estimated spending in developing their runways, as compared with the  results of FAA’s 2001 study. They also suggested that GAO include more  acknowledgment of their efforts in trying to improve the runway  development process. Regarding FAA’s concerns, we believe our approach  was a reasonable assessment of the amount of time it takes airports to  build runways. However, we clarified our discussion on the length of time  by focusing on the median time rather than the average time because this  approach minimizes the impact of outlying airports that may have taken a  very long or a very short time to build their runways. Scope and Methodology

Our primary methods for addressing our two research questions—first,  how much time do airports spend building their runway projects and what  challenges do airports and other stakeholders experience during this  process, and second, what have airports and other stakeholders done or  proposed to do to address the challenges they experienced in building  runways—-were to conduct a nationwide survey of airports that built new  runways between 1991 and 2000 or planned to build new runways by 2010,  and to perform site visits at five airports. The survey,  conducted in February 2002, provided data on the amount of time that 30  airports spent in planning and building 32 runway projects; on key factors  that accelerated or delayed the projects; and on initiatives that airports  have taken to address the challenges they faced during the process. We also included  airports that were in various stages of completing their runway projects,  and in various parts of the country. Stakeholders said this is partly attributable to community opposition  and to the effect of this opposition on the process. Status of the Runway Project

FAA commissioned the runway in 1997.
Why GAO Did This Study

Aviation experts believe that building runways is one key way to address airport capacity issues and prevent delays that can affect the entire U.S. economy, but runway projects are often controversial and time-consuming. GAO was asked to examine how much time airports spend completing runways, what challenges airports and other stakeholders experience during this process, and what airports and other stakeholders have done to address challenges related to runway projects. GAO analyzed the results of surveys from 30 airports on 32 runway projects and visited 5 airports in order to interview numerous runway project stakeholders. The Department of Transportation agreed with GAO's characterization of the challenges associated with building runways and some of the initiatives taken to address these challenges. They did express some concerns related to GAO's analysis of the time airports spent or estimated spending in developing runways, and suggested that GAO acknowledge additional FAA efforts to improve the runway process. We believe that our approach was a reasonable assessment of the amount of time taken to build runways; however, we clarified our discussion about the length of time. We also added information regarding initiatives undertaken by FAA.

What GAO Found

The amount of time airports spend planning and building their runways can vary because of numerous factors. In light of this variation, for the 32 runway projects we analyzed, we used median rather than average time. The median time was about 10 years for runways that had been completed and was estimated to be about 14 years for those not completed. Most airports and stakeholders we visited and surveyed said they faced a variety of challenges that had delayed their runway projects. While the level of challenges that airports faced varied in part depending on the proximity of the airport to a major city and the amount of community opposition to the runway, some common themes emerged, including challenges related to the following: reaching stakeholder agreement on purpose and need for the runway; completing the environmental review process; reaching agreement on noise mitigation and other issues; and designing and constructing the runway. Although there may be no single solution to the challenges involved in developing runways, the federal government and airport authorities have undertaken a number of initiatives in this area. Recently, the President issued an Executive Order that is directed at streamlining the environmental review of transportation infrastructure projects, including runways. In addition, two federal legislative initiatives designed to streamline the runway process were considered in the 107th Congress. In addition, FAA has undertaken a number of initiatives directed at streamlining parts of the process. Airports have also undertaken initiatives in this area, including involving stakeholders such as community groups early in the process, and reaching early agreement on how best to mitigate noise and other runway impacts. These initiatives may be a step in the right direction, but it is too early to assess their impact on the runway process.