Project Description

Lambert-St. Louis International Airport

Client: City of St. Louis

L&B was contracted to update the Airport Master Plan and Exhibit A Property Map, and conduct a FAR Part 150 Noise Compatibility Study for the Lambert-St. Louis International Airport.

The Master Plan Update was initiated two years after the opening of the third parallel runway to ensure that the size and design of the aviation infrastructure and support facilities were appropriate to meet the current and future aviation needs of the region.

The airfield configuration includes three parallel runways and two passenger terminals (used completely by Southwest Airlines operations) and reflects the two-decade operation of the airport with a major airline hub, a low-cost carrier (LCC), and numerous other major and regional air carriers.

L&B evaluated the existing and future needs of airport users to maximize the existing infrastructure and identified the short and long-term opportunities to create cost effective improvements that recognize the Airport’s need to diversify its economic revenue base while continuing to provide economic benefit to the St. Louis region.

The FAA requested a comprehensive update to the Exhibit A property map including identifying each Airport-owned parcel dating back to origination of the Airport in the 1930s to prepare the Exhibit A map. The parcel data and the Exhibit A map provided the information for FAA guidance for the management of acquired noise land, the noise land inventory, and the reuse and disposal of noise land parcels.

The Part 150 Noise Compatibility Study Update focused on the expected decrease in aircraft noise due to the change in hub operations and changes in the fleet mix. Noise Exposure Maps (NEMs) prepared for existing and future forecast conditions depicted decreased noise exposure and consequently the land area covered by the 65 DNL noise exposure contours was smaller than previous FAA-approved NEMs for STL, reducing the number of incompatible land uses remaining inside the contours of the NEMs.

With the implementation of the Airport’s previous mitigation programs complete, this Part 150 Study Update focused on land use planning measures and regulatory strategies to ensure that future development would be compatible with projected future aircraft noise levels.