The Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday it completed a redesign of the Houston region's highways in the sky, the first of several national projects designed to save money, fuel and time while cutting pollution. Houston is the first NextGen project to be completed, part of a transformation of the nation's radar-based air traffic control system into a more modern satellite-based program. The redesign of the region's freeways and exit ramps in the sky, partly through better use of GPS technology, is expected to reduce up to 648,000 nautical miles flown annually, saving up to 3 million gallons of fuel and reducing carbon emissions by as much as 31,000 metric tons. The cities chosen for the national program have multiple airports and heavy traffic — including North Texas, Washington, D.C., northern California, Atlanta and Charlotte, North Carolina.
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