A project to relocate Selfridge Air National Guard Base’s runway would shift William P. Rosso Highway to the north and would affect about six acres of wetland, though Selfridge would mitigate those impacts, state environmental officials said this past week.
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy is reviewing Selfridge’s application for a permit related to its $162 million runway relocation project. The project comes as the base prepares for two new aircraft platforms, the F-15EX and KC-46 tankers.
EGLE held a June 22 virtual public hearing about Selfridge’s permit application. EGLE spokesperson Dale R. George said in an email that the permit covers Phase I of Selfridge’s project, which includes relocating Rosso Highway and utilities and excavating a new alignment for the Irwin Drain.
The main runway project involves lengthening and relocating Selfridge’s 9,000-foot-long runway as well as extensions to two taxiways.
A relocation of the Selfridge runway is required for safety reasons, according to officials. The aim is to shift the runway to the north, away from 65 residential homes along the Clinton River south of the base within the designated 3,000-foot by 3,000-foot “clear zone” ― an area kept clear of obstructions to protect both people and property on the ground from air traffic.
Selfridge’s A-10 Thunderbolt II and KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft will be phased out in the coming years and replaced with a squadron of F-15EX fighters and a squadron of KC-46 tankers. Selfridge is preparing by improving its infrastructure and facilities.
The $162 million reconfiguration of the runway requires the separate, state-funded $52 million relocation of William P. Rosso Highway between Interstate-94 and Jefferson Avenue, as well as drainage work.
No members of the public made comments on Selfridge’s proposal during the Monday EGLE hearing.
Jeri Decator, a project manager at consulting and engineering services firm Tetra Tech, which is working with Selfridge, said Monday that the base wants to move Rosso Highway to the north and build a roundabout at Rosso Highway and Towne Center Boulevard. Phase I includes preparing for the realignment of the Irwin Drain and relocating utilities to accommodate the road realignment.
Culverts would be installed as part of the project, said Christy Kelly, an environmental quality analyst for EGLE’s transportation review unit.
The runway construction and the relocation of water in the Irwin Drain to the new channel will be in a separate Phase II application by Selfridge, George said.
Kelly said Selfridge proposes to permanently affect 6.16 acres of wetland for Phase I of the project. She said due to the “amount of impacts proposed,” the project will require mitigation.
Selfridge is proposing to offset the impacts by purchasing credits from a wetland mitigation bank. George said the bank is an approved site where an applicant purchases credits to offset wetland impacts.
“For this project, credits would replace the required acreage of emergent wetlands in the same ecological region,” he said.
People can submit an official comment on Selfridge’s proposal until July 2 through EGLE’s MiEnviro system, by emailing Kelly at kellyc15@michigan.gov or by mail (EGLE, Water Resources Division, Warren District Office, P.O. Box 30458, Lansing, Michigan 48909).
Staff Writer Melissa Nann Burke contributed.
asnabes@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Selfridge runway project to shift Rosso Highway, impact six acres of wetland
Reporting by Anne Snabes, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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By Anne Snabes, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
