New - 30 Mins Ago
RDU is moving its main commercial runway 537 feet northwest. That's a relatively short distance on an airport map, but the federal noise projections show it could make a noticeable difference to some nearby homeowners.
In the FAA's forecast for 2033, 72 homes would newly fall inside a major aircraft-noise contour, while 186 would move outside it.
That's a net reduction of 114 homes within the contour. But for someone considering a house near the airport, the overall improvement tells only part of the story.
A property near one end of the runway could experience a different change from a home near the other. And the figures describe modeled future conditions, not noise that residents are hearing from the replacement runway today.
The $1.1 billion project is already well underway. RDU's September 25, 2026 construction update described crews moving nearly five million cubic yards of earth to prepare the site, with the replacement runway expected to be completed in 2029.
For people comparing homes in Morrisville, western Raleigh and other communities around RDU, the question isn't simply how close a property sits to the airport.
It's how the new runway could change the pattern of aircraft activity around that location.
RDU Is Replacing an Aging Runway and Making Room for Growth
The existing runway, designated 5L/23R, has served RDU for about 40 years and is due for replacement.
The airport broke ground on the project in October 2023. Construction includes extensive earthmoving, grading, drainage work and utility relocation.
According to RDU's runway replacement project page, the new runway will be 10,639 feet long and positioned 537 feet northwest of the existing pavement.
When the replacement opens, the current runway will become a taxiway for aircraft moving around the airport.
So RDU isn't planning to operate both of those runways side by side as permanent commercial landing and takeoff runways.
The relocation also creates room for future Terminal 2 expansion, including additional international gates. The longer runway is intended to support long-distance passenger and cargo operations.
Those improvements are part of the airport's longer-term growth plans. The new terminal gates haven't opened, and the replacement runway isn't yet handling flights.
The FAA's Noise Study Shows Different Outcomes Around the Runway
The FAA's August 31, 2023 environmental decision evaluated projected airport conditions with and without the replacement runway.
The study examined future scenarios for 2028 and 2033, using the same projected aircraft operations and fleet mix for the runway-relocation and no-relocation alternatives in each comparison year.
That allowed the analysis to examine how moving the runway would change the modeled noise footprint without also changing the assumed amount of air traffic between the alternatives.
For 2033, the results were:
- 248 housing units inside the 65-DNL-or-higher contour if the existing runway remained in place.
- 134 housing units inside the contour with the replacement runway.
- 72 housing units newly entering the contour and 186 leaving it under the replacement scenario.
The figures come from the September 2022 Noise Technical Report.
They describe homes crossing a modeled noise boundary. They aren't a count of every home expected to hear more or less aircraft noise.
What does 65 DNL mean?
DNL stands for day-night average sound level.
It's a measure of cumulative noise exposure over a 24-hour period, with an additional 10-decibel weighting applied to noise occurring between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.
The nighttime adjustment reflects the greater potential for disturbance during sleeping hours.
A 65-DNL contour isn't the loudness of a single airplane passing overhead. And a property outside that boundary can still experience noticeable aircraft noise.
The contour is useful for comparing broader exposure patterns, not predicting exactly what someone will hear from a particular backyard.
Northeast of RDU: Changes near Leesville Road
Most of the homes crossing the modeled 65-DNL boundary are northeast of the runway.
The FAA's northeast comparison map identifies areas near Leesville Road, New Leesville Boulevard, Dominion Boulevard and Erinsbrook Drive.
In the 2033 forecast, 68 housing units in this area would newly enter the 65-DNL contour.
Another 186 would leave it.
A buyer looking at two properties near those roads could be considering locations with different modeled outcomes, even though both are described as being near RDU.
The FAA map shows those historical forecast areas. It isn't a current determination for every individual parcel.
Southwest of RDU: Changes near Sorrell Grove Church Road
The southwest comparison map covers areas around Sorrell Grove Church Road and Airport Boulevard.
Here, the 2033 analysis places four housing units newly inside the 65-DNL contour.
None would leave it under that comparison.
The number is much smaller than the northeast-area change, but it demonstrates why a project-wide net reduction doesn't describe every neighborhood's experience.
Why the FAA Identified 37 Housing Units for Noise Mitigation
The FAA didn't base its environmental decision solely on how many homes crossed the 65-DNL boundary.
The study also identified areas inside the modeled 65-DNL-or-higher contour where the day-night average noise level would be at least 1.5 decibels higher with the replacement runway than without it.
Under that separate test, the agency identified 37 housing units, including one mobile home, in the modeled significant-increase area.
The finding also included Sorrell Grove Baptist Church and Raleigh Fire Station 29.
Those 37 housing units aren't an additional group to simply add to the 72 entering the contour. The two counts measure different things.
The FAA's decision and mitigation commitments call for offers of sound insulation to eligible residences and an offer to purchase the mobile-home property with relocation assistance.
Eligibility requirements and the project's mitigation commitments determine which owners receive offers. The FAA's decision doesn't establish that every nearby homeowner qualifies, that an owner has accepted an offer or that mitigation work has been completed.
The FAA ultimately issued a Finding of No Significant Impact after accounting for the required mitigation. That determination doesn't mean the agency expected noise to remain unchanged; its analysis identified localized increases requiring mitigation.
For someone investigating a property in one of those areas, the property's eligibility and current mitigation status are more useful questions than the airport-wide total.
Lumley Road Is Scheduled to Move Before the Runway Opens
RDU's replacement runway requires a change to Lumley Road near the airport's northeastern runway end.
In its July 9, 2026 update, the airport explained that the existing road sits too close to the runway end for the required runway protection area.
That area is maintained for aviation safety.
The July schedule called for road-realignment construction to begin later in 2026 and finish in summer 2028.
Afterward, crews would remove the existing roadway and regrade the area ahead of the planned 2029 runway opening.
Those are RDU's published construction milestones, not confirmation of a current detour or closure.
Residents and airport travelers using roads near the construction area can follow RDU's updates for road-work notices and traffic changes.
Today's Flight Activity Won't Necessarily Match the New Runway
The FAA's noise report was prepared in 2022 and modeled future conditions for 2028 and 2033. RDU now expects the replacement runway to be completed in 2029. The study shows how noise exposure could differ with the relocated runway, not the exact flights residents will hear once it opens.
According to RDU's aircraft-noise guidance, the FAA controls flight paths, altitudes and air traffic operations. Runway use depends primarily on wind and weather, while temporary maintenance or construction closures can shift traffic between runways.
RDU operates around the clock, and aircraft activity near a home can vary from one day to another.
A buyer visits a house on an afternoon when traffic is using the runway farther from the property. The yard seems relatively quiet.
Another buyer visits the same house during a different operating pattern and hears several aircraft.
Neither visit necessarily represents the usual mix of conditions, much less what residents may hear once the replacement runway opens.
Check RDU's Flight Tracker and Airport Noise Map
Compare aircraft activity on different days
RDU's public Flight Tracking System lets users enter a home address and review near-real-time and historical flight tracks, runway use and aircraft altitude. Comparing different days and times can show how activity around the property varies.
The tracker doesn't display military aircraft or measure how loud a passing plane sounds inside a home.
Compare the address with RDU's noise contours
RDU's searchable Composite Noise Contour Map shows a home's location relative to the airport's published contours. It isn't the same as the FAA's environmental assessment maps comparing projected 2033 noise exposure with and without the relocated runway.
A buyer examining a property near one of the modeled areas can ask RDU to clarify the applicable mapping, available future projections and any mitigation eligibility.
The airport's Noise Office can be reached at 919-840-2100, extension 3.
To connect the records with conditions on the ground, visit at different times and compare what you hear with the flight activity recorded for those periods.
For broader context about neighborhoods near the airport, HomesRaleigh's Living in Morrisville guide discusses airport activity alongside other local considerations.
People comparing particular homes can also contact Raleigh Realty to discuss locations, access and the available property records. RDU and the FAA remain the authorities for aircraft operations, environmental modeling and mitigation eligibility.
The FAA projected 114 fewer homes inside the 65-DNL contour, not a smaller overall noise footprint. For someone buying near RDU, the important question is where a particular home sits relative to those modeled changes—and what current flight records and airport officials can establish before a purchase.
Conceptual editorial illustration; not a photograph, approved design or depiction of an actual property or project.
