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Hillsboro Airport Parallel Runway Final Environmental AssessmentDuring the 2005 Hillsboro Airport Master Plan and Compatibility Study Update, a new parallel runway was identified as a way to help reduce congestion and improve the efficiency of airport operations. Beginning in September 2008, the Port began a 15-month process to evaluate the environmental effects of constructing the proposed 3,600-foot parallel runway at Hillsboro Airport. In December 2009, the Port completed the draft environmental assessment of the proposed runway, with plans to implement the recommendation in 2010 if the project received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA oversees all projects that affect airport operations and flight paths.
The project Environmental Assessment analyzed different alternatives and the existing environmental conditions around the site where the new runway would be constructed. Public comment on the environmental assessment was solicited at project open houses, Hillsboro Airport events, and Hillsboro Airport Issues Roundtable meetings; via the Port Web site; and through Port publications.
Comments were accepted through a 43-day public comment period, then combined with the draft document and sent to the Federal Aviation Administration for review and approval. The FAA issued a “finding of no significant impact,” or FONSI, in January 2010, which clears the project to move forward.
Construction is expected to begin in spring 2010. The project includes a mitigation component: the Port is partnering with the Oregon Department of Transportation on a wetlands enhancement project at Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve.
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