March 09--The runway safety improvements planned for T.F. Green Airport are among several major projects that the airport will be tackling over the next few years and which are expected to cost about $250 million.
The biggest is a 1,500-foot extension of the main runway, to 8,700 feet. That will enable heavier aircraft to fly out of Warwick, which can increase passenger capacity and longer distance flights.
The extension was mired in controversy for more than a decade over issues related to wetlands, water quality, jet emissions, noise and quality of life. It cleared its last major obstacle in 2012 when Warwick, after reaching an agreement with the airport, dropped its federal lawsuit challenging the project.
The agreement requires T.F. Green to finance a corps of trained volunteers to monitor water quality around the airport. It also obligated the airport to compensate for the loss of the Winslow Park recreational complex. Replacement ball fields will be created on airport property in the Lake Shore Drive neighborhood.
Together with the lengthening of aircraft roll-off areas, the runway improvements are estimated at $130 million. All are due to be completed by the end of 2017, according to Kelly Fredericks, CEO and president of the Rhode Island Airport Corporation.
Another major project is the construction of a $33-million collection and treatment system for the chemicals the airport uses to de-ice planes. To obtain a pollution discharge permit from the state Department of Environmental Management, the airport agreed to curb emissions of the glycol-based solution, which can make its way into surface water and wetlands.
The system, which will discharge into the city's sewer system, is expected to collect and treat about 66 percent of the propylene glycol solution.
Construction of the system began in 2013 and is expected to be in operation in October.
Copyright 2014 - The Providence Journal, R.I.
