T.F. Green Airport will receive $110 million in federal funding for efficiency and safety improvements, announced Sen. Jack Reed, D-RI, Gov. Lincoln Chafee '75 P'14, Warwick Mayor Scott Avedisian and Peter Frazier, interim president and CEO of the Rhode Island Airport Corporation, Oct. 16. The Federal Aviation Administration's grant, which will be allocated over the next five years, will allow the corporation to move forward on plans to lengthen the Warwick airport's primary runway, install better safety features and improve noise mitigation.
The FAA grant is especially helpful for T.F. Green's planned improvements because it is a "pay-go grant," meaning the corporation will get funding as soon as it enters into a construction contract, Frazier said. This will eliminate borrowing costs, making it much easier to complete the project, he said.
The corporation will receive $30 million for safety improvements to the crosswind runway. These funds will cover 75 percent of the cost of adding material at the end of the runway, which would be designed to stop an aircraft if it overshoots the landing, Frazier said. The grant also allocates $50 million for the expansion of the main runway from 7,166 feet to 8,700 feet, covering 61 percent of the estimated costs, which Frazier said is "a good match for an efficiency improvement."
The remaining $30 million will be used for a noise-mitigation program, which Frazier said will focus on adding better sound insulation to 444 Warwick homes near the airport. These home improvements will include central air conditioning, double-hung windows and new doors with better noise abatement. The grant also allows the corporation to make offers and acquire homes that experience a certain decibel level.
The construction and completion of T.F. Green's planned infrastructure improvements, especially the runway expansion project, will have a big impact on Warwick by spurring economic activity, according to the press release announcing the funding. Susan Baker, press secretary for Avedisian, said the corporation and the city have been planning the improvements for more than a decade. "The mayor is very pleased to hear that this funding is coming through," she said.
In years past, the mayor's office has worked with the corporation to address community concerns about the runway expansion project. Baker said the first proposal extended the main runway over 10,000 feet, which would have overrun many homes and businesses. Other proposals posed environmental concerns, including potential damage to wetlands and decreased air quality. The final runway extension is a little longer than the city desired, but "it was the best outcome for the community," Baker said.
Four softball fields, two instructional fields and three community soccer fields will be destroyed in the runway expansion process. There are 1,400 participants in the soccer league, "so that is a big impact if we took the fields away and didn't replace them," Frazier said. Part of the current mitigation with the mayor's office involves relocating these fields, and Frazier said the money for this project will come out of the $50 million being used for the runway extension.
The corporation hopes to offset any damages to the city, Frazier said. "It is very important to be a good governmental and corporal neighbor," he added.
There are also concerns about increased traffic and delays through T.F. Green during construction, but Frazier said that a lot of work has gone into planning and that the process will go smoothly. The runway safety areas should be completed by December 2015, and the lengthening of the runway will start in 2014 and be completed by 2017.
Frazier said he hopes lengthening the runway will increase the airport's business. With a longer runway, T.F. Green will be capable of providing more coast-to-coast services and even international flights.
Efe Cudjoe '15, who flies from the Southwest Florida Airport to T.F. Green to get to school and cannot fly direct, said she thinks the expanded runway is a necessary change. With a longer runway, the airport will be able to accommodate larger planes used to fly longer distances. "Florida is not that far from Rhode Island," she said, "so there is no reason for me to lay-over a longer amount of time than I am in the air."
Though the construction will not be done by the time Cudjoe graduates, "it will still be helpful for other students in the future," Cudjoe said.
The longer runway will also be more energy efficient for airlines. The current one is too short to accommodate a full load during certain weather conditions, which is bad for airlines and discourages business. "(T.F. Green's) goal as an airport is to keep our cost as low as possible and be hassle-free for passengers," Frazier said.
