CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. (WKBW) — On Monday, the Buffalo Niagara International Airport began construction on the airport's main runway. Construction workers can be seen near Aero Drive working on one half of runway 5-23.
The preventative maintenance, including new lighting and taxiway improvements, will now direct airplanes to land and take off differently. Neighborhoods in Lancaster and Depew will hear planes preparing to land more frequently while neighborhoods in Williamsville and Amherst will hear planes take off.
Jim Fuzak has lived off of Wherle Drive for about 35 years. Fuzak is just within earshot of the airport. Seeing planes take off
is a typical sight and sound for him.
"And it doesn't bother me," Fuzak said.
Director of Aviation, Lee Weitz, said the sights and sounds will become more frequent this summer.
"Majority of this year's construction will be on the 23 end," Weitz pointed out.
Weitz said the $36 million construction project is long overdue. The last time there was any major runway construction was in the 1970s.
"Now it needs some major rehab," he added.
But not everyone is on board with the new sounds. The Office of the Amherst Supervisor told 7 News' Kristen Mirand that there have been a few calls from people complaining about the noise.
Kathryn Skorka noticed more airplanes taking off while she was at Garrison Park on Monday, but just like Fuzak, it didn't bother her at all.
"It wasn't anything crazy or annoying," Skorka said, "It's just something you have to live with, and especially only a couple of months, it's not something that's a huge deal."
The work will last through the summer and end in September. Weitz said construction the other half of the runway will begin in 2025. If you have questions or concerns about this, you can click here to fill out a form on the airport's website.
