Push resumes for T.F. Green expansion

WARWICK, R.I. (WPRI) - Officials with the Rhode Island Airport Corporation (RIAC) are making another pitch to expand the main runway at T.F. Green. They made their case to City Councilors and residents in Warwick Wednesday night.

A runway extension has been on the table for at least ten years.  However, Airport Director Kevin Dillon says it is needed now to help T.F. Green through the financial crisis.

Airport officials say passenger traffic has dropped to its lowest level in a decade.  Another blow came when Southwest Airlines, T.F. Green's most popular carrier, announced plans to expand to Logan Airport in Boston.

Dillon says a runway expansion would require the acquisiton of ten homes to the south.  Another 200 would be up for voluntary acquisition, meaning those residents could choose to be bought out by the state.

RIAC officials fielded questions about environmental, health and traffic concerns at Wednesday night's meeting.  Some residents tell Eyewitness News they are firmly against a runway expansion.

"It's wrong on every level, " says Warwick resident Dan Murphy.  "We don't need it, the air traffic doesn't need it."

Some Warwick City Councilors say they are also wary of the runway expansion plan.

"There's a history here in Warwick where the Rhode Island Airport Corporation dsays one thing, and does another," says City Councilor Steven Merolla. "For years they've been telling us they are going to buy up or soundproof our houses, and the poor people living here have been waiting for over a decade to get that done."

RIAC member Patti Goldstein says they are trying to keep T.F. Green viable and competitive. "When you have the appropriate infrastructure in place, it always helps to attract new air service."

The Federal Aviation Administration is expected to vote on their preferred expansion plan in a month or two.