Rep. Jim Matheson said Tuesday the Department of Transportation notified him that after years of studying the issue, it has decided that the routes will not need to be changed for now.

"I think it's just great news. This proposal had momentum. It was moving in the direction of changing of the flight pattern," Matheson said in an interview. "It's a big deal that they said they're looking at other things."

The FAA's proposal, if implemented, would have had some planes entering the valley along the east bench, from Bountiful down to the south end of the valley - or the opposite direction for some arriving from the southeast - as they got into position for final approach. It would have meant more air traffic over the foothills, over the ski resorts, recreation areas, canyons and the Lone Peak Wilderness Area.

Home owners on the east side of the valley feared erosion of their property values, and a coalition of environmental groups, ski resort owners, Salt Lake City and County officials, and Delta and Northwest airlines all opposed the proposed change.

"We're very pleased this process is over," said Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson. "It's dragged on an extremely long time. We were, however, quite confident there was no justification for changing the FAA-mandated approach to the airport."

Bill Rayball, associate director for governmental affairs for the U.S. Department of Transportation, wrote in an e-mail to Matheson that new navigation technology and traffic management techniques will make it unnecessary to change the flight patterns at least through 2008.

Rayball said the department may still revisit rerouting the air traffic after those other changes are implemented.

"For the time being I have to assume it's not happening," Matheson said.

The FAA announced in February 2003 that it was preparing an environmental impact statement on the proposed changes for the air traffic approaches. But that study has dragged on, hindered by a lack of funding.

Gale Dick, president of Save Our Canyons, the environmental group that sounded alarms about the FAA's proposed route change, said the decision is a temporary victory, but a "good omen" for the ultimate outcome.

"All environmental victories are temporary; all losses are permanent, so we are encouraged by this development and hope that as the situation is studied more extensively by the FAA they will find they have made a correct decision for a longer period of time," Dick said.