Wetlands weren't filled for longer runway

To the Editor:

I would like to point out an inaccuracy in an editorial published on April 5. “A murky situation with Warwick Pond” stated the T.F. Green expansion project "filled in multiple acres of wetland in order to create space for a larger runway.”

This is not accurate. The project included two basic components:

an extension of Runway 5/23 and improvements to Runway Safety Areas on various runway ends.

The wetlands that were filled as part of this project were displaced by the Runway Safety Area on Runway 34. There were no wetlands filled by the runway extension. The wetland filling was caused by the safety areas.

Richard Doucette

Environmental Program Manager

FAA New England