Gilpin County Residents Say FAA Is 'Throwing Them Under The Bus' With New Flight Pattern
(CBS4) - A plan to alter flight paths in and out of Denver is set to go into effect on March 26, despite the concerns of some Coloradans. It's called the Denver Metroplex Project, and the FAA hopes it will decrease flight delays at Denver International Airport.
Officials in Gilpin County say they are still trying to block the project because it would send all western air traffic over the county.
"We are fighting this. We are aligned with the residents. We are residents. And so I don't want to hear more planes over my little piece of paradise here, either," said County Commissioner Gail Watson.
Watson says the alteration to the flight paths isn't fair to residents of her rural county.
"The only thing we can do is fight them in court. So our attorney is now working right now with Centennial Airport, with Arapahoe County. We're not sure if we're going to do an amicus brief that supports their petition for review or if we're going to do our own petition for review.
"We don't know yet exactly what we're going to do, but we're going to do something."
The FAA says that with the Denver Metroplex Project, satellites will be used to move aircraft more safely and efficiently through the area.
"They've never been to Gilpin County," Watson said. "They did not have even one public meeting here in the county. And we feel it's incredibly unfair to throw us under the bus. No one wants to live near a flight path."
FAA officials say they held environmental reviews and held dozens of town hall-style workshops before making their decision.
