$4M For Improved Runway Safety At JFK

The Department of Transportation (DOT) has awarded over $4 million in Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) funds to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersery to improve runway safety at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).
The $4,081,704 in funding will be for rehabilitation work to enhance safety, specifically for the building of an “Arrestor Bed” at the end of runway 22L, according to Port Authority spokesperson Marc Lavorgna, in order to improve the Overrun Safety Area of that runway.
“With air traffic reaching an all-time high in New York, it’s crucial that travelers going to and from JFK have safe and efficient air service,” Senator Charles Schumer said about the funding.
An Arrestor Bed is used on runways under 1,000 feet in length, where the plane does not have adequate room to stop, explained Lavorgna. It is made of aerated concrete about 300 feet long and 30 inches high, depending on the total length of the runway.
The concrete is collapsible under the weight of the wheels, and the plane sinks into the cement — like a car in the snow—and slowly brings the craft to a stop, Lavorgna said. It will not increase air traffic, but will make landing safer.
Runway 22L is far from residential areas, so the public will not be bothered by its construction, he added.
“The Port Authority has pioneered the technology,” of building Arrestor Beds, Lavorgna said, “the world’s first was installed at JFK in 1999.
“Since then there have been three incidents where the Arrestor Bed has been used, with little or no damage to the aircraft, and no harm to the passengers,” he added.
“It is especially important to provide safe and efficient air service at one of
the nation’s busiest airports and I am pleased we can continue to provide support in this way,” said Senator Hillary Clinton of the plans.