NEW HAVEN, Conn. — More and more people are choosing to fly out of Tweed New Haven Airport, which sits right on the New Haven and East Haven city line.
The airport was built on what was once marsh and wetlands. Sitting at just 12 feet above sea level, it floods.
The debate over a possible expansion has been happening for years. In 2019, a federal appeals court overturned a state law that limited the length of the airport’s main runway.
In the following years, the debate in the community shifted to the pros and cons of expanding service and upgrading the airport’s facilities.
Another factor is Connecticut's changing climate.
Tweed faces issues with water as is. It falls within the 100-year floodplain. Recent storms flooded the terminal.
Is such an investment in a low-lying area, vulnerable to flooding from high tides and heavy rain, worth it in the face of sea level rise and extreme weather events?
The current plan has two main parts: First, to move the terminal from the New Haven side of the airport to the East Haven side; second, to expand the runway.
Airport director Tom Rafter acknowledged there is a problem with water as is.
“There have been flooding issues in the existing terminal area. There’s a river, creek that runs right below,” Rafter said.
Dozens of homes abut the airport property, in residential neighborhoods in New Haven and East Haven.
New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker said the airport helps contain water, lowering the risk to those homes.
“If you picture the airport being kind of like a bowl, it collects a lot of water before it impacts the surrounding neighborhood,” as the airport sits at a lower elevation, Elicker said.
Coastal flooding is another issue. Water from Long Island Sound flows into the surrounding wetland, and tidal flooding is a concern.
Tide gates have been installed in Morris Creek, just south of the airport to fend off salt water from the ocean during high tides. Elicker said those gates are crucial.
“If it weren’t for the tide gates that are there now, the airport would regularly flood," he said. "The houses around the airport would regularly flood.”
The combination of a storm during a high tide is always a concern. A strong nor’easter or tropical system could overwhelm it.
According to Rafter, the new terminal will be built on stilts.
“On an elevation that based on current modeling will suffice for future storm events,” he said.
The proposed move of the terminal to East Haven is controversial. Traffic will be rerouted and there will be a new entry to the airport.
There was a period for public comment and input. East Haven residents rallied behind Mayor Joe Carfora at a community meeting in April.
In an e-mail to FOX61, Carfora suggested the plan falls short: “The Airport Authority totally ignores the well-known and severe flooding problems at the crucial intersection of Hemingway Ave, Coe Ave, and Short Beach Road, through which virtually all airport traffic will have to pass under the new plan. We aren’t sure how that can be the case when it floods to the point where vehicles cannot pass numerous times per year.”
During the public meeting, Carfora said, “If this intersection is flooded, the route to and from the airport is cut off.”
Airport service has expanded significantly since the arrival of Avelo Airlines.
“It’s not only there are more flights going to where people want to go, but they’re actually affordable flights,” Elicker said.
But Tweed’s current runway is limiting Avelo’s operations.
For example, in a letter released in the environmental assessment, according to Avelo the current runway length only allows the airline “to carry full loads to and from Florida destinations only when the conditions are ‘good’.”
The letter goes on to say operating an airline at Tweed “only in ‘good weather is not a sustainable business plan’.”
Rafter noted this is a problem.
“Avelo has to take what’s called a weight penalty, where they may not be able to fill all the seats on board the airplane,” adding that with an extended runway, they could fill all the seats. This would mean more passengers with the same or even fewer number of flights.
The environmental assessment pared back the proposed length to avoid tidal wetlands near the airport. The initial length was planned to be 6,635 feet; it’s been reduced by 60 feet.
It finds a new length of 6,575 feet is “fully complying with FAA design and safety standards” and would enable Avelo to fly more of its Boeing 737-800 aircraft in and out of the airport.
The FAA is now reviewing this draft assessment and will determine whether to move forward with the project or require a rigorous Environmental Impact Statement be released.
“The FAA is a very technical body. Let them do their work, now they have all the information available to assess whether they need to do an environmental impact statement. Once that’s done, the goal will be to proceed with the proposed expansion of the airport,” Elicker said.
Ryan Breton is a meteorologist at FOX61 News. He can be reached at rbreton@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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