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n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m | M a y 2 0 2 1 | n e w h a v e n B I Z 13 CONNECTICUT IN MOTION A TRANSPORTATION WEBINAR SERIES: SESSION TWO THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON CURRENT WORKPLACE TRENDS AND COMMUTING Join us on May 18th at 12:00 pm for the second in a series of webinars exploring transportation topics that affect Connecticut's businesses and residents. This webinar will explore COVID-19's impact on return to work expectations, the evolving nature of commuting, and strategies for how organizations can move forward in this uncertain time. Dennis House, News 8 WTNH, will moderate a discussion among leading workplace consultants and transportation experts. REGISTRATION IS FREE AND NOW OPEN ON: www.newhavenbiz.com/new-haven-biz-events/CTinMotion Moderator: Featured Speakers: Dennis House Chief Political Anchor, News 8 WTNH Kelly Bacon, Global Practice Lead - Workplace Advisory at AECOM Kim Lesay, Bureau Chief, Policy and Planning, Connecticut Department of Transportation Lauren Mason, Senior Principal, Mercer PRESENTED BY: EVENT PARTNERS: MEDIA PARTNERS: MAY 18 TH | 12 PM • Middlesex Chamber of Commerce • Waterbury Chamber of Commerce • Chamber of Commerce Northwest Connecticut, Inc. • Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce • CBIA • MetroHartford Alliance • CTSHRM "People think a bigger runway means bigger planes," Scanlon said. "No, what it means is that planes can go further. ere is a common misconception that we're trying to get jumbo jets in here. No. We just want to be able to have planes similar to the ones that we have now and be able to go further distances." Essentially a longer runway allows planes to carry more fuel and people, which would incentivize carriers to begin to fly nonstop to destinations, including Florida. "at's a very important market for us. ere are a lot of people in our area that want to get to Florida, nonstop," Scanlon said. "So by having more room to take off and land, you could add more weight to the plane. And more fuel gets you to go further. If you get further, you get more people who are interested to come here because they don't want to fly to Philadelphia then Char- lotte then Florida. ey want to go straight to Orlando." Business on board e business community has largely sup- ported runway expansion efforts. "It's all about being able to get in and get out of New Haven easily," said Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce Executive Di- rector Garrett Sheehan. "If we can have more robust options from the airport that allow for our businesses, whether we have people trav- eling out, or if they have customers, clients or researchers coming into New Haven, it's a lot easier to get in." Sheehan said the expansion of services will be great from an economic development standpoint, particularly for manufacturers. "I've heard from manufacturers — maybe one of their customers is doing business here and they put New Haven at the tail end [of their trip] because it takes longer and more effort to get there," he said. "ey have to fly into New York, rent a car and drive up — and if you're at the tail end of that week-long trip, sometimes you could fall off the schedule. I think it really will impact everyone across the board." e expansion, however, has gotten push- back from neighbors. Sean O'Brien lives about 30 yards from the airport, and for a variety of reasons, does not support the expansion, arguing it doesn't make sense economically or environmentally. "I don't see how the airport is going to bring prosperity through all of these things that are promised. I'm also very concerned about climate change and that Tweed has been flying near-empty planes since COVID-19. I'm worried about the impact on health and air quality, particularly for asthmatics," said O'Brien, who is part of the Stop Tweed Expansion Coalition. "We're not just worried about noise, or just a bunch of angry neighbors. I just don't see the justification," O'Brien says. Scanlon says the process to develop the master plan has included a lot of commu- nity input. And if the FAA approves the plan, any efforts to move forward with the runway expansion and terminal relocation will require additional layers of local and state approvals. He anticipates the runway would be built at the earliest in 2023, the terminal in 2024. n The Tweed-New Haven Airport Authority wants to increase the airport's runway by more than 1,000 feet. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED

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