An array of city, state and federal officials gathered at T.F. Green Airport on Monday to mark the completion of a main runway extension project 20 years in the planning and building, saying it will help the state attract and retain businesses.

WARWICK R.I. — An array of local, state and federal officials gathered at T.F. Green Airport on Monday to mark the completion of a main runway extension project 20 years in the planning and building.

Gov. Gina Raimondo, the state's two U.S. senators and two U.S. representatives and others said the runway extension, part of a $250-million overall airport improvement project, would help the state attract new businesses and retain the ones it has.

"Someone has to be corny, so I'll say it: 'Rhode Island is taking off,'" said Raimondo, who made the stop during an around-the-state road trip she was conducting to tout her administration's accomplishments in its first 1,000 days.

Planning on the project started in the 1990s, and the work began about four years ago.

The project involved more than simply paving more runway. Winslow Park had to be moved and replaced to make room for the longer runway, and headstones, but not the graves at a small cemetery, had to be relocated as well.

It included new end-of-runway safety structures to prevent planes from overshooting the runways, street relocations and the removal of obstructions, such as trees and utility poles, on approaches to the airport.

The longer runway will enable Green to attract more longer-range nonstop flights, such as the international routes that Norwegian Air has recently announced, as well as enhance safety for short-distance flights, giving pilots more runway to use in the case of poor weather conditions.

The various officials took turns praising the works of others to get the project completed. One who was particularly singled out was the late Bruce Sundlun, who, as governor from 1991 to 1995, had pushed for improvements to the airport.

“He had the vision,” Airport Corporation Board Chairman Jonathan N. Savage said. “He started it.”

Another former, and still living, official was noted as well, former airport corporation board chairwoman Kathleen C. Hittner. Warwick Mayor Scott Avedisian recalled how the city’s relations with the airport had for years been at times hostile. He said Hittner, who chaired the board from 2007 to 2013, brought a calm and diplomatic touch that enabled the airport and the city to agree on expansion and noise-reducing actions that led to the runway extension.

U.S. Sen. Jack Reed thanked the Federal Aviation Administration for providing about 60 percent of the money that paid for the work at Green, “the difference between doing this runway and not doing it.”

FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said improving facilities at airports is part of his agency's job. But he added that the FAA saw some national benefits from increased capacity at Green. About half of the nation’s air-traffic delays occur in the corridor from Boston to Washington, D.C., he said. Having another airport in that zone with a runway long enough to accommodate long national and international flights will take the pressure off other airports in that zone, he said.

— jhill@providencejournal.com

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