Tweed New Haven Airport Draft Environmental Assessment Done

NEW HAVEN, CT —The Tweed New Haven Airport Authority completed a 206-page draft airport Environmental Assessment and submitted it to the Federal Aviation Administration has.

The Tweed New Haven Airport Authority completed a 206-page draft airport Environmental Assessment and submitted it to the Federal Aviation Administration this week.

Tweed's plans to expand the airport, which it notes is "aimed at allowing the airport to more fully serve the needs of southern Connecticut and its economy," covers both the extension of the airport’s runway as well as the construction of a modern terminal. It was conducted by HVN with the support of national aviation consulting firm McFarland Johnson.

“Completion of this Environmental Assessment marks another successful milestone in our work
to enhance HVN and fully realize a $100-plus million investment in southern Connecticut that will
create more than 1,147 direct jobs, in addition to the more than 300 jobs already created in the
last year and a half,” said Jorge Roberts, CEO of Avports CEO Jorge Roberts was quoted as saying.

“The airport will continue to see additional activity in the coming years, and the draft assessment makes clear that this project would reduce the airport’s overall environmental impact to the region as that growth occurs.”

New Tweed New Haven Airport Authority executive director Thomas Rafter said in a news release that the Authority is "committed to ensuring that this expansion is executed in an environmentally sustainable manner."

Praising Avports, he said the Authority looks "forward to continuing to work with our partners and neighbors in the community to make this vision a reality.”

Read the voluminous environmental assessment here:

Tweed New Haven Airport dra... by Ellyn Santiago

In a news release, Tweed said the "EA makes clear that the planned project would improve the airport’s future environmental impact."

The airport pointed to "notable findings."

• NOISE: Extending the runway and relocating the terminal reduces overall noise by
reducing the number of total necessary flights1 and shifting aircraft ground noise further
from residences; HVN will also extend its ongoing Residential Sound Insulation Program to include additional homes that would otherwise be significantly impacted by aircraft noise.
• AIR QUALITY: The air quality analysis found that by relocating the terminal and
extending the runway HVN and its airline partners can reduce overall impact on air quality when compared to doing nothing, with potential air emissions from the construction, forecasted operations, and changes in vehicle trips associated with expansion expected to be well below thresholds set by the EPA
• WETLANDS: The new terminal is proposed within the footprint of a closed runway and
taxiway field. The impact on undisturbed wetlands has been intentionally minimized to
less than 0.2 acres, and expansion would include mitigation measures implemented to achieve the overall policy goal of “no net loss."
• WILDLIFE: Impact to wildlife and plant life has been reduced to less than federal and
local thresholds; the project site contains no critical habitats for threatened or
endangered species as designated by the state or federal government.
• TRAFFIC: Expansion would not significantly impact current driver experience as studied
across 11 key intersections.7 A new traffic signal and intersection improvements would
be provided at the intersection of Proto Drive and Coe Ave.

Public input encouraged

Available for public review and comment, and as can be read below, the EA addresses the foreseeable environmental, social, and economic consequences associated with the proposed extension of Runway 02-20 and construction of a new airport terminal (“East Terminal”) and associated facilities at Tweed New Haven Airport.

The purpose of the Proposed Action is to provide airfield and terminal area facilities to accommodate existing and reasonably foreseeable aircraft operations and passenger volumes. The Project would address operational constraints through the runway extension and replacement of existing terminal with a new East Terminal. This would include associated landside (parking and roadways) infrastructure and aircraft parking areas in a manner that efficiently utilizes the available land within the airport developed footprint.

The public is invited to attend a public information workshop and hearing for the Draft EA on Saturday, April 1, 2023. The public is encouraged to attend this “open house” style meeting to get more information and to ask questions from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. The formal hearing and public comment session will be held following the workshop from 1:30 to 3:30 PM.

MEETING LOCATION:
East Haven High School
35 Wheelbarrow Lane
East Haven, CT 06513

Written comments will be accepted until April 16, 2023, via mail or email at:

HVN-EA Public Comments McFarland Johnson 49 Court Street, Suite 240 Binghamton, NY 13901 hvn-ea@mjinc.com

Comments received on the Draft EA in writing on or before the close of business on April 16, 2023, will be considered and addressed in the Final Environmental Assessment (FEA) for the proposed action. Based on a review of the FEA, the FAA will determine the significance of potential impacts and either issue a Finding of No Significant Impact

This story is part of a series on the Tweed New Haven Airport expansion.

Read more here>>

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