Fifth Runway at Dulles Draws Attention as Expansion Plans Take Off

Dulles International Airport is preparing for major growth — laying the groundwork for a sweeping 25-year overhaul that includes new hotels, office and retail space, and a fifth runway that could bring more air traffic — and more noise — to nearby neighborhoods.

The runway plan is part of the newly updated Dulles International Airport Master Plan, though the concept itself isn’t new. The fifth runway has been in the airport’s designs since 1958 and was included in the previously adopted 1985 master plan.

On July 16, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) Board of Directors approved the updated plan, which is now under review by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Emily McGee, a MWAA spokeswoman, emphasized that the possibility of increased aircraft noise was no secret to local governments and developers, having been published “long before” homes were built in parts of Loudoun and Fairfax Counties.

“All airport master plans, including the 1985 and 2025 Dulles versions, as well as the 2005 (Environmental Impact Study) and the 2019 noise contour update, were created with input from the surrounding communities, including county leadership,” said McGee in a statement to The Mercury.

Expanding the number of runways has become a “necessity” as Dulles handles 560,000 aircrafts annually, according to MWAA. The fourth north-south runway opened in 2008. The proposed fifth runway — approximately 10,500 feet long and 150 feet wide — would run east-west, parallel to U.S. Route 50, west of Chantilly.

The FAA approved both the fourth and fifth runways in 2005, but construction of the fifth has not yet been scheduled.

While the proposal has long been in the works, current and projected noise from flights on the fifth runway has prompted local leaders in Fairfax and Loudoun counties to raise awareness in surrounding communities.

“The airport has been here for a long time. They were here before the residents came, but now that the residents are here, I think it’s important to be a good neighbor, and I think it is important to have a dialogue with the community,” said Loudoun County Supervisor Laura Tekrony, who represents constituents in Lenah.

Supervisor Matt Letourneau, who represents most of the area impacted, including Arcola — adjacent to the airport — told the Loudoun Times-Mirror regarding the expansion of runways in April 2023 that his main priority is to establish “a dialogue with the FAA about departure procedures, to include what may be possible and what the impacts of any changes would be, including on other runways and potentially impacted areas.”

Some communities, like Lenah and Arcola, fall within Loudoun’s designated “Airport Impact Overlay District,” where noise is expected at specified levels. In Fairfax County, a similar area is referred to as the “Airport Noise Overlay District.”

Loudoun implemented its district in the early 1990s to “mitigate impacts to prospective homebuyers in areas that could be affected by aircraft noise and to prevent residential development in areas where the highest noise impact to people on the ground is anticipated to occur,” according to Loudoun County. Fairfax’s overlay district was established in 2001.

In 2019, MWAA updated its noise exposure maps for Dulles Airport to reflect changes in the aviation environment over the past 30 years, as well as anticipated future shifts. Loudoun also amended its 2019 Comprehensive Plan and overlay district map, potentially affecting about 59,000 property owners around the airport.

The FAA uses the Day-Night Average Sound Level (DNL or Ldn) as a tool to calculate average noise levels over a 24-hour period. The measurement system divides areas into three noise tiers based on proximity to airports, which Loudoun uses to set specific development and home sale requirements.

In Loudoun, new development is not permitted in areas where the noise level is Ldn 65 or higher — the tier closest to the airport.

In areas where the noise level is Ldn 60-65, developers are required to notify homebuyers that the property is within the overlay district at the time of the initial sale. Residential construction in these zones must include acoustical treatments, and builders must obtain legal rights before construction to allow for aircraft overflight in the airspace above the property.

The one-mile buffer zone, the farthest tier from the airport, also requires that developers notify homebuyers at the initial sale that the property lies within the district.

Loudoun is also participating in a limited-scope initiative called the Runway 30 Aviation Noise Mitigation Project, which aims to better understand noise impacts west of the airport and identify potential solutions related to the fourth runway, currently used for departures.

“This truly is a process that we believe will be helpful for the relationship with the airport and the community, because if we can prove that this process can have a community consensus, and the potential to increase safety and maybe even improve efficiency, I think it’s a win-win for everybody,” said Carolyn McCulley, a team member with the project led by aviation consultant Vianair.

The FAA did not provide an estimated timeline for completing its review of the master plan before this article was published.

by Nathaniel Cline, Virginia Mercury

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