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

T.F. Green Airport Improvement ProgramEnvironmental Impact Statement and Final Section 4(f) Evaluation2.3.1 Safety NeedsSeveral of the facilities at T.F. Green Airport do not meet current FAA airport design standards. 62 These include theRunway Safety Areas (RSAs) at each end of Runway 16-34, the separation between Taxiway C and Runway 16-34,and Hangar No. 1 which penetrates the Runway 16-34 Object Free Area (OFA) and 14 CFR Part 77 airspacesurfaces. The FAA airport design standards should be met to the greatest extent practicable to enhance the safetyof airfield operations.2.3.1.1 Runway 16-34The RSAs associated with Runway 16-34 do not meet current FAA airport design standards for an AirportReference Code (ARC) C-IV 63 facility. The RSA surrounds the paved runway surface, with the purpose ofenhancing aircraft safety by providing a graded, well-drained area that can support aircraft that undershoot,overrun, or deviate from the runway, without causing injury to its occupants or structural damage to the aircraft. 64The size of the RSA is dependent on the type of aircraft using the airport. A 1,000-foot standard for the length ofRSAs has been developed to maintain a level of safety for larger and faster aircraft, such as those which arecurrently operating at the Airport.The established design standards dictate that the RSA for Runway 16-34 must extend 1,000 feet beyond eachrunway end at a width of 500 feet. The existing Runway 16 RSA is 180 feet long and 500 feet wide, while the RSAassociated with the Runway 34 End is 200 feet long and 500 feet wide. The existing perimeter road currentlypenetrates the Runway 34 End RSA. Figure 2-4 illustrates the existing nonstandard Runway 16-34 RSAs.The RSAs must be upgraded at both runway ends to meet FAA standards through either construction of the fullRSAs (500 feet wide and extending 1,000 feet beyond each runway end), or through providing an equivalent levelof safety as defined by FAA through the use of an Engineered Material Arresting System (EMAS). In November2005, the U.S. Congress required that all 14 C.F.R. Part 139 65 airport sponsors (including RIAC) enhance passengersafety by improving their RSAs by 2015 and that FAA report annually on its progress toward improving RSAs.In addition to the RSA deficiencies, rehabilitation of the Runway 16-34 pavement is needed to maintain the safetyof the runway. A pavement evaluation in 2001 noted that the runway pavement has exceeded its anticipated20-year useful life. Runway 16-34 was last rehabilitated in 1978. The 2002 T.F. Green Airport Master Plan Updaterecommended reconstructing Runway 16-34 by 2004. A pavement overlay project was undertaken in 2004 toprovide a short-term fix to the rapidly deteriorating condition of the runway. Continued deterioration of therunway can result in foreign object debris (FOD) from broken pavement pieces on the runway. Rehabilitation ofRunway 16-34 pavement is needed to avoid unsafe occurrences of FOD on the airfield and to extend the useful lifeof the runway.62 FAA Advisory Circular 150/5300-13, Change 15.63 According to FAA Advisory Circular 150/5300-13, Airport Design, Change 15, the Airport Reference Code (ARC) is a coding system used to relate airportdesign criteria to the operational and physical characteristics of the airplanes intended to operate at the airport.64 FAA Advisory Circular 150/5300-13, Change 15.65 14 CFR. Part 139 defines airports that conduct commercial passenger flight operations and must comply with standards contained therein.Chapter 2 – Purpose and Need 2-21 July 2011\\mawatr\ev\09228.00\reports\FEIS_Final_July_2011\PVD_CH02_P&N_JUL_2011.doc