The FAA is asking for public comments on the environmental assessment to replace 31 outdated airport traffic control towers at general aviation airports across the country.
The FAA has set aside more than $500 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to support site evaluation, preparation, and early construction activities.
The new towers would replace towers functioning beyond their intended design life, according to FAA officials. They will incorporate sustainability elements such as all-electric building systems, materials and products free from chemicals known to pose health risks, a thermally efficient façade, recycled steel and metal products, renewable mass timber when usable, and ground-source heating and cooling in some environments.
The towers, designed by Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU) of New York, will range in height from 60 to 119 feet.
The draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment is available for public review here.
In the report, the FAA considers the conditions and potential environmental impacts of replacing these FAA-owned control towers with modern facilities. It also analyzes the potential environmental impacts that may result from the construction and operation of the proposed new towers and decommissioning and removal of the existing towers.
Send comments identified by docket number FAA-2023-1368 to the Federal Regulations portal. Deadline for comments is July 31, 2023.
Although certainly not a fan of remotely operated towers, I do agree replacing serviceable / updateable existing towers with these embarrassing and unsightly structures is wasteful. “To every problem there is a solution that at the same time obvious, simple and dead wrong.”
Typical government operations. Follow the money wasted like all the government boondoggle’s.
Repair towers and replace government unconstitutional agencies and personal.
Starting with term limited at 8 year maximum.
Honor the Constitution and term out all agencies that are not in our constitution.
Replace or close all none productive departments and personal.
Our country need not be a nanny country.
167 pages!! This doesn’t make any sense at all. Repair, udate what needs to be done. This is typical of Government spending and we taxpayers are on the hook for the hogwash from desgin and consulting fees. I agree with other postings about updating or replacing some things. My home is 24 years old and ac went out after 20 years. Did I tear down the house to upgrade? No, just upgraded to a newer system. Please stop the insantiy FAA and our government too! Let’s be practical and use some common sense!
Fix what ever is broken! Like Phil Washington and Joe Biden! Then you can fix everything!
Amazing the architecture firm is from NY. Had to be either there or CA. Follow the money.
Repair what is broken, the buildings themselves are not broken. A little renovation is a lot less money than tearing down and building something new.
NUTS>>>>>
… and I though Canada was stupid with wasting money!
What a bunch of garbage! 167 pages of generalities, boiler plate, and platitudes. But no content! Some consultants made a lot of money for nothing – and we paid for it!
And isn’t the whole tower replacement project just a great idea? Whenever a 40-year old building needs a new air conditioner we should just tear it down and build a new one – with Davis-Bacon labor rates.
Would you do that to your own home and with your own money? I didn’t think so! With this level of stupidity it is no wonder flights are FAA-delayed!
While the towers being replaced have “exceeded their design life” many of them still function very adequately. It’s a complete waste of money to replace them. Especially true of towers that have recently received millions in equipment upgrades. It’s insanity one would never do unless they were spending other peoples’ money.
What happened to the remote tower concept? Would that not be the most efficient and cost-effective solution?
Just because the existing towers are beyond “their intended design life” – Does that automatically call for a replacement?
This is all “Feel Good” wasteful spending.
There is at least one in Selma AL. There’s an old Air Force control tower still there (Craig AFB closed in 1977). They’re installing their equipment in an old AF hangar which will be manned from what I understand. Not a busy airport at all, and no need for ATC tower. Waste of money.
All electric and no solar panels? Unless they update the local power grid these are a joke!
This design is about as ugly as possible.
Incorporate a water tower into the control tower and get local funds to help pay for it. Looks like a water tower anyway