T.F. Green Airport Improvement Program - FEIS Chapters - PVD

T.F. Green Airport Improvement ProgramEnvironmental Impact Statement and Final Section 4(f) Evaluation5.5.4.3 Alternative B4This section summarizes the results of the social and economic impacts analysis for Alternative B4 in 2015, 2020,and 2025. Social and economic benefits associated with Alternative B4 include additional jobs, wages, and businesssales activity associated with the additional aircraft operations and passengers that could be accommodated onextended Runway 5-23. These aviation-related activities would benefit the City of Warwick, surroundingcommunities, and the State of Rhode Island. Social and economic negative impacts associated with Alternative B4include impacts associated with residential and commercial land acquisition and loss of tax revenue.Aviation Activity Impacts – 2015, 2020, and 2025The following sections summarize the direct and indirect economic impacts related to aviation activities forAlternative B4 in 2015, 2020, and 2025.Direct Aviation ImpactsDirect impacts associated with the extension of Runway 5-23 during 2015 would include the on-Airport effects ofadditional aircraft operations and passenger activity. Based on forecast compared to the No-Action Alternative,increases of approximately 8,760 operations, and 765,727 passengers, an additional $16.9 million in businessactivities are expected at the Airport in 2015, increasing to more than $17.5 million by 2025. These expenditureswould support 223 jobs, paying over $7.1 million in 2020 and 233 new jobs and $7.4 million in wages by 2025. 346These impacts are even greater when multiplier effects are taken into account and have an impact on statewideemployment, wages, and spending.Indirect Aviation ImpactsIn addition to passenger activity expected under the No-Action Alternative, approximately 765,720 passengersare projected to use T.F. Green Airport as a result of Alternative B4 These additional passengers would lead tooff-Airport expenditures in visitor-related industries in addition to the visitor expenditures expected from theNo-Action Alternative, including hotels, restaurants and bars, entertainment, retail, and local transportation.The majority of impacts would occur by the end of 2015, with visitor expenditures of an additional $12.7 millionin the City of Warwick and more than $79.9 million statewide. This visitor spending when the runway extensioncomes online is expected to generate an additional 194 jobs in the City of Warwick and over 1,107 in the State.The changes between 2015 and 2020 would be small, with a greater increase occurring in 2025. It is anticipated thatvisitors would spend about an additional $12.8 million in the City of Warwick in 2020 and $13.8 million in 2025,while visitor spending throughout Rhode Island would be nearly $80 million in 2020 and $86.7 million in 2025when compared to the No-Action Alternative. Visitor spending is expected to generate an additional 194 jobs inthe City of Warwick and 1,108 in the State by 2020. By 2025, visitor spending is expected to support over anadditional 210 jobs in the City of Warwick and over 1,200 statewide, including economic multiplier effects.The increased air carrier activity would provide opportunities for increased aviation-related business activity(such as repair services, retail services for additional airline and airport employees) and other airportreliantbusinesses (such as manufacturers, universities, research and development organizations, and346 Derived from ratios of aviation business that were used for the Airport in the Rhode Island Airport Economic Impact Study - Update 2006.Chapter 5 - Environmental Consequences 5-95 July 2011\\mawatr\ev\09228.00\reports\FEIS_Final_July_2011\PVD_CH05_Environmental_Cons_JUL_2011.doc