FAA Wants to Install Stoplights at Airport Runways
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The Federal Aviation Administration is looking to add stoplights at 20 major airports over the next 3 1/2 years, in an effort to prevent collisions and close calls on the runways.
The New York Times reports that the new system would use a computer that would turn on red lights in the runway pavement to indicate to pilots when a runway is in use.
The FAA has been struggling to address runway risks at airports across the country. A congressional report released in late 2007 warned there is a "high risk of a catastrophic runway collision occurring in the United States" because of faltering federal leadership, malfunctioning technology and overworked air traffic controllers.
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Around the time that report came out, there were two more near-collisions reported: one at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, the other at the Newark, N.J., airport. The so-called "incursions" only underscored the dangers the FAA is trying to address.
The FAA has requested proposals from companies for the new stoplight system and plans to offer $5 million toward technology that could prevent airport collisions, according to the Times article.